Former President Donald Trump has sharply criticized ABC News, alleging that the network broke a pre-debate agreement during the recent presidential debate.
Addressing reporters from Trump Tower in New York City, he openly condemned the network’s approach to fact-checking during the event.
His main focus was ABC News anchor David Muir, whom he referred to as a “real lightweight.”
Like I said, before being interrupted by lightweight David Muir crime is up 🤣 pic.twitter.com/p7dRTe7iWH
— Gabriela Iglesias🇺🇲 (@iglesias_gabby) September 26, 2024
The former president claimed he faced unfair treatment, stating, “I had one against three, but I think we did great.”
Trump’s frustration was fueled by what he saw as biased fact-checking, especially concerning crime statistics.
He pointed out that Muir interrupted the debate to challenge his claim about increasing crime rates in the country.
“He said, ‘No, no, crime has not gone up.’ I said crime has gone up massively. He said, ‘I’d like to state for the record that crime has not gone up,’” Trump recounted.
At the heart of Trump’s accusation is a claimed agreement with ABC News, according to Fox News.
Trump hits ABC News, 'lightweight' David Muir, accuses network of violating debate agreement with fact-checks https://t.co/8k3DeiBgfS
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 26, 2024
“We had a deal with ABC that there will be no corrections of any kind, and they violated the deal,” Trump asserted.
He asserted that this agreement forbade fact-checking during the debate, permitting it only afterward.
Trump didn’t limit his criticism to Muir; he also targeted co-moderator Linsey Davis, who delivered the first fact-check against him during the debate.
“I never heard of her. I never want to hear of her. She was terrible. I don’t know how she ever got her job in the first place,” Trump stated.
BREAKING: Megyn Kelly just went on a rant CALLING OUT the ABC hosts for working with Kamala Harris to SINK Trump and STEAL THE ELECTION.
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) September 11, 2024
"I'm ashamed of those moderators at ABC News. They did exactly what their bosses wanted them to do. The person who runs ABC News is a close… pic.twitter.com/81lqt4S2g1
The former president’s remarks have sparked renewed conversations about media bias and the role of fact-checking in political debates.
Conservative critics have rallied around Trump, claiming that ABC News has shown hostility towards him while being lenient with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox reported that Trump’s supporters highlighted that he faced five fact-checks during the debate, while Harris’s statements were left unchallenged.
This imbalance has intensified allegations of unfair treatment and media bias.
David Muir will never be taken seriously again.
— The Steve Hilton Show (@SteveHiltonShow) September 12, 2024
He fully displayed himself as a grotesque partisan hack at the debate and will never recover from it. pic.twitter.com/geuv8TK0qw
The controversy has prompted a wider discussion about the format and rules governing presidential debates.
Trump’s assertion of a pre-debate agreement raises concerns about the transparency of such arrangements and their effect on political discourse, according to Fox.
ABC News has not yet addressed Trump’s allegations.
However, the network recently responded to a viral “whistleblower affidavit.”
Repost* Here is the ABC Whistleblower affidavit claiming Kamala Harris was given unfair advantage during the ABC debate
— CartierFamily (@cartierfamilyZ) September 15, 2024
H/T @DocNetyoutube pic.twitter.com/n2b79alqUb
The release of a document, allegedly authored by an anonymous whistleblower, claims that ABC News supplied Harris with debate questions ahead of time and made specific agreements to give her an edge over Trump.
In response, ABC firmly denied the allegations, stating, “ABC News adhered to the debate rules that both campaigns agreed upon, which explicitly state that no topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.”
.@RobertIger
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) September 16, 2024
Dear Bob,
I assume that you have been made aware of this affidavit which was made public earlier today in which a whistleblower states that @ABC worked closely with the @KamalaHarris campaign in sharing the substance of the questions, avoiding certain topics,… https://t.co/Y95zdQ5Vk3
The future impact of this controversy on upcoming debates remains unclear.
Trump has indicated hesitation about participating in another debate with Harris, citing concerns about early voting. However, he hasn’t entirely dismissed the idea, telling Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie, “Maybe if I got in the right mood.”
