Pollster Frank Luntz said on Wednesday that the disdain former President Donald Trump showed to Vice President Kamala Harris during their Tuesday debate may have doomed his campaign.
Trump appeared to hardly ever look at Harris during their debate on ABC News, and the former president did not glance at her whatsoever during the clip British journalist Piers Morgan played for Luntz on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” The pollster said Trump’s treatment of Harris could imperil him with female voters, potentially costing him the election. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Used To Think Border Wall Was ‘Un-American.’ Now She Supports It.)
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“The fact is, he won’t look at her. I’m watching this again, and I’m thinking as a debate coach, turn your face! Pay attention. He’s looking either at the camera or the moderators and showing no acceptance that she’s right there,” Luntz said. “And by the way, you know what that looks like? For every woman that reminds them of their husband or their boyfriend simply ignoring what they have to say, having disrespect and contempt. And it’s agitating to women watching. Trump can’t just win with men, he’s got to get women … Donald Trump reminds women of their first husband’s divorce lawyer. That is just absolutely disastrous.”
“Right now, the gender gap is roughly even. She’s up 15, 17 points among women, he’s up 13, 14 points among men, and that’s who you get the gap that there are more female voters, but it is this mirror image of each other … I’m so glad you showed that clip because the contempt that he shows her … is going to hurt him with female voters, particularly older female voters, who otherwise might have voted for him,” he added. “And you’re going to see this in the polls, take about four or five days to show up, but I do think that this has the potential to be a fatal mistake on Trump’s part.”
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said in August that Harris’ lead in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin was due to the vice president performing better with female voters.
“Women voters are energized and is the reason that Kamala Harris turned a deficit that Joe Biden had into a lead,” Enten said.
Harris is still leading in the polls in Michigan and Wisconsin, but she is now tied with Trump in Pennsylvania, according to poll averages collected by RealClearPolitics.
Enten also warned on Monday that if Harris is unable to regain her lead over Trump in Pennsylvania, it could sink her presidential bid.
“All right, so Kamala Harris wins the electoral college when she wins the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he said.
“But let’s take Pennsylvania out of Kamala Harris’ column and put ’em into Donald Trump’s column. Again with the betting favorites with Trump taking Pennsylvania, what happens when we turn Pennsylvania red? Well, take a look here,” he said. “Donald Trump wins in the Electoral College, 287 electoral votes to Kamala Harris’ 251 electoral votes. So that is why I say it is pivotal.”
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