Democratic nominee Joe Biden has garnered a 13-point edge over President Donald Trump after a chaotic and disruptive first presidential debate.

A CNBC-Change Research poll released Thursday showed Biden with 54 percent of support, while Trump held 41 percent.

The survey also reported findings from viewers who tuned into the debate, as 53 percent of nationwide, likely voters surveyed said Biden had a better performance than Trump, with 29 percent saying the president performed better.

Sixty percent of viewers from Tuesday night’s debate dubbed Biden’s performance as presidential, with 40 percent describing the president’s as the same. Fifty-seven percent of viewers, however, thought Trump was corrupt, while 43 percent said the same about the former vice-president.

The debate received a whirlwind of coverage, as it was filled with interruptions, insults and mockery that left the moderator unable to control the arguments between the two candidates. 

“I’m just sad with the way last night turned out,” moderator Chris Wallace from Fox News, told The New York Times on Wednesday.

Following the debate, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates said it plans to make possible adjustments to the structure and format for the next two debates between Trump and Biden. The next one is scheduled for Oct. 15, but Trump has recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, potentially initiating a change of plans as Covid-19 patients must remain in quarantine for an extended period of time.

Prior to the first presidential debate, Biden held a wide national lead over the president, and according to the RealClearPolitics polling average of general election polls, Biden currently holds a 7.2 percent lead. During the month of September, his lead has hovered around five to seven percent.

Forty-five percent of likely voters from the poll said that the president did not meet performance expectations, while 11 percent said the same about the Democratic nominee.

A whopping 77 percent criticized the entire night, as they said it did not make them feel proud to be American.

It’s generally rare for debates to swing voters, as only two percent of participants said it changed how they plan to vote, with 98 percent saying it did not.

The CNBC-Change Research poll surveyed 925 likely voters nationally from Sept. 29 to 30 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.22 percentage points. The findings on the presidential debate are based on responses from 796 likely voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.47 percentage points.

Rachel Bucchino is a reporter at the National Interest. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and The Hill. 

Image: U.S. President Donald Trump talks reporters as he departs on campaign travel to Minnesota from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2020. Picture taken September 30, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria