Trump Critiques ABC News Debate Performance, Prefers Fox Moderators

Trump’s Post-Debate Reflections: A Critical Take on ABC News

By Wednesday morning, former President Donald J. Trump had emerged with a definitive narrative regarding his contentious performance in the recent ABC News debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. His message was clear: he refused to accept the title of ‘loser’; instead, he asserted that ABC itself was the true loser of the event.

In a live interview on Fox & Friends, Mr. Trump lambasted the network’s moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, accusing them of exhibiting a biased approach during the debate. He stated, “I thought it was terrible from the standpoint of ABC,” and added, “They are the most dishonest, in my opinion, the most dishonest news organization.”

Mr. Trump went on to claim that ABC “lost a lot of credibility” and “took a big hit,” suggesting that the network should feel embarrassed due to the perceived unfairness of the debate. He expressed his discontent with the fact that Muir and Davis fact-checked several of his statements while, in his view, giving Harris a free pass on similar issues. In a dramatic flourish, he mused that ABC ought to reconsider its broadcasting license altogether.

Perhaps most strikingly, Mr. Trump reflected nostalgically on his past interactions with CNN, asserting, “CNN was much more honorable.” This statement comes as a surprise from a figure who has consistently labeled that organization as a prime example of media bias. He specifically referenced a debate with President Biden in June, which he deemed “much more honorable” than the recent one with Harris, despite the challenges that Biden faced during that event.

For the Fox & Friends team, this seemed like an opportune moment to probe Mr. Trump about the possibility of participating in a debate on their own network. Fox News has been trying to secure this for months. Anchor Steve Doocy raised the idea of a Fox debate moderated by the network’s prominent political anchors, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

However, Mr. Trump appeared less than enthusiastic about that prospect. “Well, I wouldn’t want to have Martha and Bret; I would love to have somebody else other than Martha and Bret,” he remarked, proceeding to suggest his preferred alternatives, which included Fox pundits Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters. “Let’s give other people a shot,” he insisted.

It became evident that Mr. Trump had taken the time to closely analyze Fox News’s post-debate coverage overnight. “I didn’t think Martha and Bret were good last night,” he commented critically. “I thought Jesse was fantastic.” He concluded by noting that he found Harold Ford Jr., another analyst on Fox News, “just as dishonest as ABC,” reiterating his frustration with media coverage.