"Nothing really changed" in the polls after last week's debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, so Trump shouldn't be sent into another "ambush" as the election draws near, pollster John McLaughlin said on Newsmax Sunday.
McLaughlin, on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend," pointed out that a CNN poll showed that 82% of voters said the debate did not change their decision on how to vote, while 14% said they might reconsider but they had not changed their vote, and just 4% said the debate may have changed their minds.
"The fact of the matter is, nothing really changed," said McLaughlin. "A lot of these polls have stayed the same."
He asked why Trump should be involved in debates "when it's apparent that they're rigged."
"ABC they fact-checked him like 22 times and never once fact-checked her," he said. "I mean, those fact checks were prepared … they were prepared ahead of time like they knew the questions were."
Such debates are "like going into an ambush," he added. "Why send our candidate into that?"
Meanwhile, GOP strategist Ash Wright, also on Sunday's program, discussed Harris' answers about the economy during the debate and in an interview Friday, and said she "has no plan."
"If she did have a plan, the question would be, Why is the plan not in place today?" he said. "She always just tries to look forward and never look to the past because there's no explanation for how we got here today, what they did wrong, how they did it."
Ultimately, Harris' biggest polling problem is because of the economy because she can't separate herself from President Joe Biden's issue, he said.
"That's why she cannot give a substantive answer," said Wright. "She's trapped between the two things because her biggest weakness is Joe Biden and Joe Biden's economy, and also her biggest weakness is that she needs a plan for the economy's future. And they're pushing against each other in her campaign and it's ultimately creating a huge problem for her. The voters are begging for her to answer that question, and she just simply can't."
McLaughlin agreed that voters "have no idea" where Harris stands on the economy and taxes.
"She wants to let the Trump tax cuts lapse," he said. "That raises taxes on 91% of all Americans. She wants to raise taxes on your 401(k) and your home. She's going to increase the capital gains tax … she doesn't want those specifics out there. She doesn't want people to have any clue that she's going to destroy our economy and personally hurt tens of millions — tens of millions — of Americans with tax increases, so that's why she doesn't want to discuss it. That's what she's hiding."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.