Was the debate fixed?
Former President Donald Trump criticized ABC News, accusing the network of unfair treatment during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, calling the event a “rigged deal.” During an appearance on “FOX & Friends,” Trump expressed frustration with co-moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, accusing them of fact-checking only him while ignoring false claims made by Harris.
“I think we did great, but it was three against one. It was a rigged deal, as I expected,” Trump said on Wednesday. He added, “They corrected everything I said, but never corrected her. It’s clear she got favorable coverage over the past month or year. Meanwhile, I faced nothing but negative press. The media in this country is incredibly dishonest.”
Trump further explained that he wasn’t surprised by the biased treatment. “I expected it, and frankly, I didn’t mind because I knew that’s what they’d do. CNN, during my debate with Biden, handled things much more honorably, but this one was unbelievable,” he said.
During the 90-minute debate, Trump was fact-checked five times, while Harris faced no corrections from the moderators. Many commentators noted that Trump received tougher questions throughout the night, while Harris was given more leniency on various topics.
Trump also addressed the inaccurate narratives pushed during the debate, saying, “A lot of what I said, like Charlottesville, was completely debunked. I’ve got a list of seven things. But no matter how accurate I was, they kept correcting me, and I thought it was awful from ABC’s standpoint.”
He continued, “In my opinion, ABC is the most dishonest news organization out there, and that’s saying something because they’re all pretty dishonest.”
One of the key points of contention was Harris’ mention of Trump’s comments regarding the 2017 Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally, where she claimed Trump referred to neo-Nazis as “very fine people.” Trump has long maintained that he was referring to individuals on both sides of the protest about a Confederate statue, not neo-Nazis or white nationalists, who he explicitly condemned.
Even Snopes, a left-leaning fact-checking website, acknowledged earlier this year that Trump never called neo-Nazis “very fine people.” They clarified that Trump’s statement was about the broader group of protesters and not the white nationalists involved in the rally.
During the debate, Trump reminded viewers that Harris’ claim had already been debunked.
