Latest On US Election Betting: Trump Odds Resist After Respectable Final Debate

The US presidential race held yesterday its final debate ahead of Election Day on November 3rd. Political Joe analyzes what happened in this decisive face-off as well as the betting markets reactions. Don't forget to subscribe so you can stay updated to the latest experts insights every week.

A breath of Fresh Air

After an opening debate which was raucous and bad tempered, Thursday night gave the viewer an opportunity to hear what both President Trump & Joe Biden had to say. While the content was interesting in terms of how far apart both were on certain topics, I’m not entirely sure it will have moved any undecideds into one camp or the other.

As somewhat predicted the Trump campaign approached this debate as a team clearly playing from behind. President Trump’s approach was a breath of fresh air to those who have been following him during his stint in the White House. He was mannerly and reserved in a way people would not have been accustomed to. As a matter of fact, it gave rise to what many consider to be his best ever debate performance. This too was reflected in his price. Having hit a high yesterday evening of 21/10 (32% chance) on the Betfair Exchange prior to the debate, the aftermath saw him supported slightly to 19/10 (34%).

Joe Biden did what he had to do in terms of last night's debate. He ticked off the list of topics and didn’t get dragged into a dog fight. He landed some good lines and did a better job than President Trump of addressing those at home directly to camera. While far from rock solid on the Hunter Biden allegations, he muddled his way through without any major mishaps.

Joe Biden clearly won the Fighting Covid-19 section which wasn’t a surprise. President Trump had to defend a strategy that hasn’t played out well, while Joe Biden could suggest what he would do without having to be examined too thoroughly.

When it came to Race in America, the moderator Kristen Welker of NBC, referred to “the talk” many parents must have with their children. While Biden performed well in this section President Trump over indexed and even got Biden to admit that his 1994 Crime Bill was a mistake when it came to the drug sentencing element. President Trump also claimed he was “the least racist person in this room” which resulted in an Abraham Lincoln comment from his opponent. Trump managed this well and ultimately the take away was that he has done more for African-American communities than any president since Lincoln.

It’s never a good sign of a debate when Hitler gets a mention. While Biden didn’t compare President Trump to the dictator he did draw comparison to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. Perhaps a window into the Biden foreign policy approach?

While Donald Trump has been president for almost four years now he went the tried and trusted route of framing himself as the non-politician vs the 47-year political veteran. Reinforcing this by telling Biden that he was “all talk and no action” compared to his record.

One of the later exchanges involved oil during the Climate Change section. Biden said if he is elected, he would move the US away from oil. President Trump pounced on this claiming “there’s a big statement” while also playing for votes by name checking the states that matter on that front (Texas, Oklahoma & Pennsylvania).

All in all, a much more enjoyable and informative debate than the only other one we’ve had. It highlighted that President Trump can and will change his approach if needing to. However, this Political Joe wonders if it’s all a little too late at this stage?