Politics

USA TODAY Opinion

A friend — a professional, smart suburban female voter with good judgment who I've known for years — texted me during the first presidential debate that she was on three different text chains with all women, each a different background, party. Looking through the lens of what's driving President Donald Trump's troubles — his poor relationship with female voters — this debate did nothing to help and, if my friend is right, may have made it worse. Trump's theory was to come out and pummel his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, get under his skin, and then watch him dig deep holes from which he could not climb out.