Trump’s Response to ABC News Debate Performance
By Wednesday morning, former President Donald J. Trump had clearly articulated his message regarding his defensive and scowling performance in the recent ABC News debate against Vice President Kamala Harris: I’m not the loser; ABC is the loser.
In a live interview on Fox & Friends, Mr. Trump criticized the network’s moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, for what he perceived as a biased approach. He stated, “I thought it was terrible from the standpoint of ABC.” Mr. Trump further claimed that ABC “lost a lot of credibility,” took a significant hit, and should feel embarrassed for their handling of the debate. He expressed his displeasure that the moderators fact-checked several of his answers while seemingly giving Ms. Harris a free pass, even suggesting that the network ought to lose its broadcasting license.
Perhaps most notably, Mr. Trump reminisced about what he considered more favorable times with CNN. He remarked, “CNN was much more honorable,” a striking comment from someone who has long labeled the network as a prime example of media bias. He continued, “The debate we had with Biden was a much more honorable one,” referencing the contentious debate in June that did not go well for Mr. Biden.
For the Fox & Friends team, the moment seemed ripe for securing a commitment from Mr. Trump to participate in a debate on their own network, a goal that Fox News has pursued fervently for months. Anchor Steve Doocy broached the idea of a Fox debate moderated by the network’s leading political figures, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
However, Mr. Trump did not appear enthusiastic about that proposal either. He stated, “Well, I wouldn’t want to have Martha and Bret; I would love to have somebody else other than Martha and Bret.” He went on to list his preferred alternatives, including Fox pundits Sean Hannity and Jesse Watters, insisting, “Let’s give other people a shot.”
It became evident that Mr. Trump had taken time overnight to closely analyze Fox News’s post-debate coverage. He commented, “I didn’t think Martha and Bret were good last night,” adding, “I thought Jesse was fantastic.” He also noted that he found Harold Ford Jr., another Fox News analyst, “just as dishonest as ABC.”
