The Presidential debate last night dove into crises that not only affect Americans but the entire world. The issues discussed centered on the pandemic, immigration, foreign policy, and race, not to mention the usual string of personal attacks made by both candidates.
The American public generally breathed a sigh of relief with the more friendly nature of the debate. President Trump took the advice of Republican officials and cooled down the inflammatory rhetoric. Vice President Biden appeared calm and stern and had drawn-out prepared responses to questions he stumbled over, which shifted odds in the first debate.
Before we dive into the debate’s substance, we analyze how the debate moved the line on the presidential election prop provided by one of our recommended online sportsbooks, MyBookie.
Presidential Election Odds Pre-Debate
US Presidential Election Winner
- Joe Biden -165
- Donald Trump +120
Popular Vote Winner
- Democrats -500
- Republicans +330
Presidential Election Odds Post- Debate
US Presidential Election Winner
- Joe Biden – 160
- Donald Trump +125
Popular Vote Winner
- Democrats -500
- Republicans +330
As you can see above, the President has successfully shifted the odds by ten points, moving the line slightly. The books reflect that Biden is still the clear favorite.
At VEO, we expect the line to continue to move towards even action as the election draws near. If you consider wagering on any of the 2020 presidential election props, we suggest doing it sooner rather than later for larger payouts.
More broadly, the relatively insignificant shift reflects a more considerable sentiment among the American public: their minds are already made up.
The candidate’s policy stances that they elucidated in the final debate did little to sway voters in any direction. However, we break down some of the broader issues debated by Joe and Donald.
First and foremost, the pandemic once again took center stage in the debate. Biden stuck to his position of blaming the President for the loss of life and jobs from covid-19. Trump pushed back and stated that a vaccine is right around the corner, and his plan to disperse the vaccine via the US military.
The two also sparred over their competing immigration policies. Biden vowed to protect immigrant families and create bilateral immigration policy to bring immigrants into the US legitimately. He also blamed the President for the inhumane separation of immigrant children from their families.
Trump accused the Obama administration of putting children in cages at the border, a reference to border facilities made to control the influx of immigrants established under the Obama administration. Trump emphasized the protection of American jobs.
Foreign policy also was a contentious subject. Biden criticized Trump for cozying up with foreign leaders in Russia and North Korea while allowing China to break international protocol. Trump claims that his relationships with such leaders protect the American people from foreign entanglements and potential nuclear disaster.
Biden hopes to deal with foreign threats through international allies, while Trump contrarily relies on his negotiations with foreign threats to enact foreign policy.
Race also came into the conversation. The moderator questioned candidates about “the talk” many black parents have with their children about being targeted by police due to race. Trump claimed to have done more for the black community than every other President, save Abraham Lincoln.
Biden faced the camera and acknowledged systemic racism in the US and vowed to protect black families.
Both candidates made personal attacks as well. Trump never failed to bring up Hunter Biden’s email scandal at every opportunity. Biden also took every chance to disparage the President’s lack of care for basic human decency.
The odds and the polls show that most Americans have already made up their minds on who they will vote to lead the country despite a more substantive debate.
Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/us/politics/debate-presidential-recap.html