The Atlantic

Americans Saw Trump Unfiltered and Recoiled in Horror

Polling suggests that the president dealt a severe blow to his reelection chances with his performance in the first debate.
Source: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty

Here’s a paradox of the Trump era: The president is the most overexposed figure in American political history. You can turn on your television, open any newspaper or magazine, or log on to practically any social-media site at any time and get a strong dose of Donald Trump. The man is everywhere.

Yet unless you’re a political junkie, you can easily get by without watching Trump at length or really paying deep attention. He may seem inescapable, but he’s just part of the atmosphere—an acrid presence you

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