RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There is so very little Democrats and Republicans agree on right now. But last night's first presidential debate broke common ground because of how universally difficult it was for people to watch.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
JOE BIDEN: Folks, do you have any idea what this clown's doing?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Under that thing, that socialized thing, call it...
CHRIS WALLACE: Mister...
TRUMP: Why didn't you do it over the last 25...
BIDEN: Because you weren't president, screwing things up.
TRUMP: No, no, no. You were a senator. And, by the way, you were a...
BIDEN: You're the worst president America has ever had. Come on.
TRUMP: Hey, Joe. Let me just... You were the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don't ever use the word smart with me. Don't ever use that word.
BIDEN: Oh, give me a break.
TRUMP: Because you know what?
BIDEN: The question is...
TRUMP: Supreme Court justice - radical left...
BIDEN: Will you shut up, man?
TRUMP: Listen - who is on your list, Joe?
MARTIN: Just a sample of so many confrontational moments last night, which meant voters had a hard time hearing policy details over all the interruptions, insults and yelling.
SAMANTHA WHIRL: Embarrassing. Like, I literally have a headache.
BENJAMIN MILES: I will say it's probably the worst debate I've ever watched.
KIM PATTERSON: Oh, where do I begin?
MARTIN: Those are the voices of undecided voters Samantha Whirl (ph), Benjamin Miles (ph) and Kim Patterson (ph) reacting to last night's debate. Whirl was not impressed with either candidate's performance.
WHIRL: I feel like Trump was a bully the whole time. I feel like Biden was not strong enough. And - whew (ph).
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Whew (laughter) - I think something we thought about a lot last night. Many of us wanted to say that. So did this 90-minute-plus debate sway any of these undecided voters one way or the other? Well, Benjamin Miles, who lives in Louisville, Ky., says he has made up his mind now, just maybe not how the candidates would have wanted him to.
MILES: They moved it from maybe voting for one of them to definitely not voting for either (laughter).
MARTIN: Samantha Whirl of Burgaw, N.C., says it didn't clarify her choice at all.
WHIRL: I'm definitely not going to vote for Trump, but I can't say that Biden has won my vote completely, either. So I really just want to throw up thinking about voting for either of them.
GREENE: And Kim Patterson, who lives in Columbia, Tenn., she already has her sights set on the second presidential debate.
PATTERSON: That would be wrong to make a decision based on one performance and a few sound bites. I don't think that would be very fair. But they would have to do a lot at this point to change my mind. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
