Politics & Government
Watch: Donald Trump’s Rally in Melbourne, Florida
Breaking: Donald Trump took the stage in Melbourne Tuesday.
MELBOURNE, FL — Fresh off his first presidential debate ever, Republican nominee Donald Trump was looking to capitalize on recent gains in the polls with a campaign rally in Melbourne, Florida.
Just how much that first debate appearance will help Trump – or hurt him – in the polls remains unclear. Some post-debate polling gave Democrat Hillary Clinton a win in Monday night’s debate at New York’s Hofstra University, but several online polls gave the victory to Trump.
Regardless of who “won” the 90-plus-minute debate, the live broadcast gave both candidates a chance to square off on such issues as national security, race relations and the economy. Zingers also erupted as discussion turned to such topics as Trump’s tax returns and Clinton’s deleted emails.
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As the candidates duked it out, NBC’s Lester Holt, the debate’s moderator, butted in regularly with “We have to move on” and “your time is up.” Nearly 100 million viewers tuned in across the United States to watch the two presidential candidates spar.
See also: Who Won the Presidential Debate: 5 Key Moments From Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
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As of Tuesday morning, Clinton was ahead in national polls, according to Real Clear Politics. She had a lead on Trump of 2.4 percentage points, which essentially means the race is still neck-and-neck. The data available, however, reflected polls conducted prior to Monday’s debate. Post-debate national polling data is not yet available.
A New York Times Upshot/Siena College Florida Poll released Sept. 19 only gave Clinton a 1-point lead against Trump in the critical swing state.
“Trump has as large a lead among Republicans (78 points) as Clinton does with Democrats (77 points) and independents are evenly split at 34 percent for Trump and 32 percent for Clinton with 18 percent for (Libertarian candidate, former Gov. Gary) Johnson,” Siena College poll director Don Levy said in a statement. Men tend to lean toward Trump with women favoring Clinton, he added.
Clinton is struggling against Trump in the central part of Florida, the Siena College poll determined. She also trails the New York businessman in the Tampa Bay area and northern parts of the state. The Democrat, however, has strong support from the southeastern part of the state.
Trump’s Tuesday, Sept. 27 rally took place at Orlando Melbourne International Airport’s AeroMod Hangar. Doors to the event opened at 4 p.m. with the rally at 7 p.m. The AeroMod hanger is located at 100 Aerospace Drive, Unit 6, in Melbourne.
Watch Trump’s rally in Melbourne below:
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons
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