Many voters made their choice before face-off: #tellusatoday

On Monday night, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump faced off in the first of three presidential debates. Facebook comments are edited for clarity and grammar:

Clinton was struggling to stay on script and not be knocked off-balance, but the stress was showing.

— Rich Charts

The talk shows predicted that Clinton would win the debate but it won’t matter since most voters have already made up their minds.

In the case of Trump, that is a very sad commentary given the outright vulgar campaign this man has run. It appears his supporters believe it’s better to blow up Washington, D.C., than try to fix it.

Trump could drive this country into a ditch. Anyone who thinks his tax cuts will benefit the middle class needs to take a serious look at states like Louisiana, where a GOP governor has ruined its economy.

— John Petz

Everything Clinton said was very scripted. She memorized all the lines well. There was no life in her answers. Trump won.

— Gina Stolyar

Leftists want to make this debate about personality. I would suggest that it is: conservatives vs. socialists, and the ability to prioritize and deal with problems vs. the gall to invent imaginary problems and fake-solve them with other people’s money.

— Art DeMartini

All you need to know is that some news outlets have already declared Clinton the winner and will jump on any Trump gaffe to anoint her as “the one.”

— Jive Guru Dave

We asked our followers whether either candidate’s performance in Monday’s debate changed their mind about them.Tweets edited for clarity and grammar: 

Surprisingly, I’m leaning towards Hillary Clinton. She demonstrated composure and balance. Also, she’s answering the questions.

— @Letti4U

My views have changed. I’m looking deeper into the third-party candidate Gary Johnson.

— @KurtOnTheRadio

I like the way Donald Trump stayed on topic. Who cares about birther claims? Let’s protect our country.

— @markmorris2

Thank God we have one sane woman. Trump’s an immature bully.

— @Margare48842407

Neither of the candidates has changed my opinion, just made it more apparent. Horrible choice of having to decide between these two.

— @Laruehail

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