Shares in Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (NASDAQ:DJT) rose sharply in premarket trading after CNN’s flash poll showed that the Republican candidate has outperformed US President Joe Biden in the first presidential debate held on Thursday.
The stock was up 6.8% in the Friday market pre-open.
Conducted by SSRS, the CNN poll surveyed registered voters who watched the debate. The results show that most viewers lack confidence in Biden’s ability to lead the country. Still, the majority of those who tuned in said the debate had little or no impact on their choice for president.
The poll revealed that 67% of debate watchers felt Trump delivered a better performance, compared to 33% for Biden. Before the debate, 55% of these voters expected Trump to do better, while 45% anticipated a stronger showing from Biden.
The survey found that nearly all Republican viewers (96%) thought Trump won the debate, while only 69% of Democratic viewers believed Biden was the winner. Moreover, 85% of Republican viewers felt Trump addressed concerns about his presidential abilities more effectively than Biden, whereas only 53% of Democratic viewers thought Biden did a better job in this regard. Notably, 27% of Democratic viewers felt neither candidate alleviated concerns about their abilities.
The poll's results reflect the opinions of those who watched the debate and are not representative of the entire voting population in terms of demographics, political preferences, or attention to politics.
A significant 81% of registered voters who watched the debate said it had no effect on their choice for president, while 14% said it made them reconsider but didn’t change their mind. Only 5% reported changing their voting decision based on the debate. About 3% of both Biden and Trump supporters said the debate changed their minds.
Regarding potential voter shifts, just 3% of Trump supporters indicated they might consider voting for Biden, while 5% of Biden supporters said they might consider voting for Trump.
When it comes to confidence in their ability to lead the country, 57% of debate watchers said they have no real confidence in Biden, compared to 44% who said the same about Trump. Although neither candidate scored highly, 36% of viewers expressed a lot of confidence in Trump’s leadership abilities, while only 14% felt the same about Biden.