Trump debate performance steadies his campaign

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Donald Trump but last night's debate performance seems, at least according to many political observers, to have at least slowed the decline. Politico offers the following assessment based on its survey of political strategists, operatives, and activists:

GOP insiders: Trump's off life support

Swing-state Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief, convinced that embattled GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump successfully took the fight to Hillary Clinton in Sunday night’s acrimonious town-hall debate...

Most importantly, Republicans think Trump stopped the bleeding — after two weeks of sliding poll numbers and a weekend of abandonment from GOP officials after video emerged of Trump coarsely describing groping women. Democrats, on the other hand, expect Trump to continue to slip in the polls after Sunday night, especially after calling for Clinton to be jailed for her use of a private email account while secretary of state.

As for the debate, Trump’s on-stage performance was well-received by most Republicans — including some who have been skeptical of his political abilities and qualifications.

It will take a few days for polls to reflect the most recent turns of the campaign, but by the end of the week it should be evident just how bad of a week Trump has had, and also provide a sense of whether the obstacles to a November victory are insurmountable.