Donald Trump praises his ‘winning’ first debate performance

Donald Trump has given himself a pat on the back for coming out ahead as the winner of Monday night’s presidential debate, despite solid consensus among pundits Hillary Clinton won by a landslide.

“Last night was very exciting and almost every single poll had us winning the debate against crooked Hillary Clinton,” Trump said at a rally in Florida Tuesday night.

“That was an exciting evening for me folks.”

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More than 80 million Americans are estimated to have tuned in for the much-anticipated first debate of the U.S. election. Polls, not surprisingly, showed flip-flipping public opinion on who came out of top, with each nominee respectively taking the lead depending on where you looked.

WATCH: Trump said he called for change during presidential debate, Clinton didn’t

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3:04 Trump said he called for change during presidential debate, Clinton didn’t

In a CNN poll, Americans who watched the debate sided with Clinton. Sixty-two per cent said she was the winner, while just 27 per cent named Trump. The Washington Post had Clinton at the top of its “winners” list.

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The Atlantic chose Clinton as its winner. Its commentators said she delivered a “commanding performance” while Trump offered too many interruptions.

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Online polls largely declared Trump the winner, FOX News reports, noting Breitbart, Drudge Report and Time polls.

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Tuesday evening Trump provided some insight into his mindset during the debate. The Republican candidate almost alluded to dealing with nerves on the big night.

“I knew I was going into a situation where you were going to have one of the largest audiences in the history of television, and I took a deep breath and I pretended I was talking to my family. Very interesting.”

WATCH: Donald Trump pretended he was talking to his family during presidential debate

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0:43 Donald Trump said he pretended he was talking to his family during presidential debate

Earlier in the day Trump blamed a faulty microphone as well as the debate’s moderator, NBC News anchor Lester Holt, for any perceived weaknesses in his performance.

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But Tuesday evening he took aim at his opponent’s performance, saying Clinton is “stuck in the past” on issue after issue.

“Last night when I debated secretary Clinton on America’s future,” Trump said, pausing as the crowd roared. “For 90 minutes I watched her very carefully, and I was also holding back — I didn’t want to do anything to embarrass her — but I watched her and she was stuck in the past.”

“Hillary Clinton defended the terrible status quo, while I laid out our plan, all of us together, to bring jobs, security and prosperity back to the American people.”

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Monday’s debate was the first of three for the presidential nominees; the second will take place on Oct. 9 in St. Louis with Anderson Cooper moderating, and the third on Oct. 18 in Las Vegas with Chris Wallace as moderator.

WATCH: The best moments from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the first presidential debate