Joe Biden Pans ‘Embarrassing’ Debate

Joe Biden Pans ‘Embarrassing’ Debate
According to former Vice President Joe Biden, Tuesday night’s presidential debate left much to be desired. “I thought that was embarrassing for the country the way the president acted for the rest of the world watching this,” Biden told WKYC. “It was hard for me to believe that a president of the United States would be so viciously classless and do what he did,” Biden added. According to PRRI data, 46% of Republicans, 73% of all Americans, and 88% of Democrats wish President Trump’s speech and behavior was more in line with his predecessors.
The Atlantic Profiles Controversial ‘Oath Keepers’ Group
According to PRRI data from 2019, nearly half (49%) of white Americans say President Donald Trump’s decisions and behavior have encouraged white supremacist groups. More than three in four (77%) Black Americans and majorities of Hispanic (69%) and multiracial or another race (59%) Americans say the same. In a new piece for The Atlantic, Mike Giglio profiles the Oath Keepers, a group numbering in the thousands that count many law enforcement officers among their ranks. According to Giglio, 2020 has been a transformative year for the group. “Many of their worst fears had been realized in quick succession: government lockdowns, riots, a movement to abolish police, and leftist groups arming themselves and seizing part of a city. They saw all of it as a precursor to the 2020 election,” Giglio writes.
Republican Leaders Face Trump’s Debate Performance 
According to PRRI data, nearly nine in ten (89%) Republicans hold favorable views of Trump, up from the low 80s throughout the summer, and similar to 90% in April and 89% in March. Trump’s favorability among Republicans is also higher than his 2019 average (79%). In The Hill, Alexander Bolton writes of a downtrodden Republican Party following the first presidential debate. “Senate Republican leaders sought to keep their focus Wednesday on Barrett’s nomination, which would give conservatives a 6-to-3 majority on the high court. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other GOP senators were quickly dragged into the imbroglio over Trump’s debate comments, particularly the moment he called on the far-right group the Proud Boys to ‘stand back and stand by,’” Bolton writes.
Join PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones for Virtual Discussions of ‘White Too Long’ 
On Thursday, October 7, PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones participate in a virtual conversation with Luther College. Jones will discuss his new book “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity.” The following week Jones can be seen discussing “White Too Long,” at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Jones will also discuss his new text on October 13 with the Empower West Virtual Book Club.