A majority of Americans think Hillary Clinton will do a better job than Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential debates, according to a new poll.
The CNN/ORC survey released Thursday, less than three weeks from the first face-off Sept. 26, found 53 percent of likely voters say Clinton will outperform the GOP nominee, while 43 percent expect Trump will best his Democratic rival.
According to CNN, voters' expectations for Trump are higher than they were for almost every Republican in the past 24 years.
Clinton supporters are the most confident: 91 percent think she will do better than Trump. Among Trump's backers, 78 percent think he will be the winner.
Among voters still on the fence about the candidates, 60 percent think Clinton will outperform Trump; 38 percent expect Trump to top Clinton.
Interest in the debates is also high: two-thirds they are more interested in watching this year's contests than previous ones; one-quarter say they are less interested.
Trump backers are especially excited: 75 percent say they are more interested in debates; 58 percent of Clinton's supporters feel the same.
In other findings:
- A majority, 52 percent, see Clinton as better able to handle the public scrutiny that comes with being president, 43 percent think Trump would.
- 53 percent say Trump and his campaign have unfairly attacked Clinton; 43 percent think that about Clinton's attacks on Trump.
The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.