JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden squared off Tuesday evening in the first presidential debate of the 2020 election.
Some said it was a clear win for their candidate, while others said it was downright unwatchable. But most Jacksonville residents who News4Jax spoke with Wednesday said they had already made up their minds long before the presidential debate.
Andre Haynes, who works in Springfield, said there wasn’t anything either candidate could have said Tuesday night that would have changed his mind.
“Because of the last four years, I think I know who I’m voting for,” Haynes said.
Amanda Crawford, who lives on the Westside, said she also already decided who she’s voting for.
“I need to be honest with you — I think we all know what we’re dealing with, and you pretty much made your decision,” Crawford said. “Either you’ve been happy with the last four years or you want change."
With just over a month before Election Day, a recent national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found close to 90% of voters have firmly made up their minds, and seven in 10 believe the debates aren’t that important in deciding their vote.
“I’ve pretty much decided how I’m voting," said Jason LaFleur, who lives on the Southside.
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The second presidential debate is scheduled for Oct. 15, and the third is set for Oct. 22.
Susan Haag, who lives in the San Jose area and works downtown, told News4Jax she hopes for more substance and less cross-talk in the upcoming debates.
“It’s sad because I don’t know that we’re really looking at what the values are and which candidate stands for what," Haag said. “I really am disheartened by the fact that people are so ugly about each candidate — that they either hate Trump or they hate Biden — and it’s got less to do about who’s really in the better position to lead our country and more ‘I hate you, so I’m going to vote for him.'”
Fresh off their debate-stage clash, Trump and Biden targeted voters across the Midwest on Wednesday.
Biden headed out on his most aggressive day on the campaign trail all year, with eight stops planned for a train tour that began mid-morning in Cleveland and was scheduled to end Wednesday night in western Pennsylvania. Trump was to address voters and donors in Minnesota late in the day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.