Quick Hit:

A memo obtained from the Trump campaign Thursday reveals a modest post-debate polling bump for the former president, while Kamala Harris's support remains stagnant. In addition to the campaign's internal polling, multiple public polls, including new surveys by Rasmussen and the New York Times, show Trump moving ahead of Harris nationally and in critical swing states.

Key Details:

An internal Trump campaign survey of 1,893 likely voters in key target states showed a 2-point post-debate bump for Trump, while Harris’s numbers remained unchanged.
The memo criticizes Harris's debate performance, noting that "target state voters were not impressed by Kamala Harris’ empty platitudes."
Trump now leads Harris 50% to 47% in a head-to-head matchup. Other polls reflect similar trends, with a Rasmussen Reports survey conducted from September 5th-11th showing Trump ahead 49% to 47%, and a recent New York Times/Siena College poll showing Trump leading Harris 48% to 47%.

Diving Deeper:

A newly obtained memo from the Trump campaign highlights a 2-point post-debate boost for Donald Trump, positioning him ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris nationally. The internal survey, conducted by the campaign on the night of the debate, sampled 1,893 likely voters and found Trump making gains in both full ballot and head-to-head matchups, while Harris’s support remained unchanged.

The memo, prepared by strategists Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis, asserts that "despite the best efforts of Kamala Harris and media to portray the debate as some kind of overwhelming win for her, voters did not see it this way." According to post-debate polling, Trump now leads Harris 48% to 46% on the full ballot, a 2-point increase from earlier numbers. In a direct head-to-head matchup, Trump has expanded his lead to 50% compared to Harris's 47%.

Further supporting Trump’s momentum, a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted between September 5th and 11th, and released Thursday, shows the former president leading Harris by 2 points, 49% to 47%, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

Additionally, a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from September 3rd to 6th mirrors these results, placing Trump narrowly ahead of Harris at 48% to 47%. The consistent leads across multiple polls suggest that Trump’s message, particularly on economic issues where he holds a double-digit advantage over Harris, is resonating with voters.

The memo is particularly critical of Harris’s debate performance, accusing her of delivering "empty platitudes" that failed to win over key voters. It also rebukes media portrayals that suggested Harris was cruising to victory, stating that "this couldn’t be farther from the truth."

Trump has also gained ground among definite voters, with 46% now saying they will "definitely" vote for him, compared to 44% pre-debate. Harris’s "definite" support inched up slightly from 44% to 45%, but her pool of likely voters has decreased from 4% to 2%.

These combined post-debate bumps, reflected across multiple polls, indicate a shift in momentum as the election nears. With the race tightening nationally and in crucial battleground states, the Trump campaign appears confident in their candidate’s trajectory and ability to appeal to a wide swath of voters in the final stretch of the campaign.