As Trump and Harris spar, ABC's moderators grapple with conducting a debate in a polarized country
They faced the challenge of moderating what is probably the only general election debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
The ABC News moderators were great. No, actually they were a “disgraceful failure." They cut off Kamala Harris too much. No, actually they corrected Donald Trump unfairly.
Such is the contentious tenor of the times in 2024's campaign season. And so it went Tuesday night at Trump's and Harris' first — and possibly only — debate.
In an illustration of how difficult it is to conduct a presidential debate in a polarized country, ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked and corrected Trump four times Tuesday and were attacked angrily by the former president and his supporters. The moderators asked about economic policy, the war in Ukraine, abortion, the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection and changes in Harris' stances since her 2020 presidential run.
It was the only scheduled debate between the two candidates, although Fox News Channel has proposed another one. Trump, following Tuesday’s session, said he’d be “less inclined to because we had a great night.” On social media, Trump echoed many of his supporters in criticizing ABC, saying the debate was essentially three on one.
