ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis faced significant backlash online during Tuesday night’s presidential debate for perceived bias against Republican nominee Donald Trump. Critics pointed out various forms of bias, including asking Trump more confrontational “gotcha” questions than those directed at Harris, pressing Trump with follow-up questions while allowing Harris to avoid answering without similar scrutiny, and fact-checking Trump rigorously while letting Harris make unchallenged statements, the Daily Wire reported.
ABC News’ left-wing bias was on full display during the network’s pre-debate coverage, with media analyst Stephen L. Miller noting: “ABC’s pre-debate coverage might as well be The View right now. It’s insane.” Added RealClearPolitics President Tom Bevan: “In media file center they’ve been blaring the sound of ABCs pre-debate coverage. Except when Tom Cotton was just on. Sound went way down, couldn’t hear a word. Josh Shapiro comes on and the sound was turned back up. Unreal.”
Then, once the debate began, the bias quickly went on display with former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell calling Davis a “far-left activist.” Political commentator Noah Pollak posted on X: “ABC hosts embarrassing themselves protecting Harris from having to answer whether she supports partial birth late term abortions.” Firebrand Ann Coulter noted: “But it’s great to have 3 Democrats debating Trump tonight. Thanks, ABC!”
Donald Trump Jr. criticized fact-checkers for only fact-checking his father but not Harris. “Weird how the hack moderators at @abcnews are only ‘Fact checking’ Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop,” he posted. “The Fake News is the enemy of the people!” City Journal contributor and researcher Christopher Rufo chimed in on X: “These overtly partisan, often misleading ‘fact checks’ are absurd. It’s not journalism. It’s propaganda.”
“Harris just lied about the SCOTUS ruling on immunity,” noted conservative commentator AG. “Zero fact-checks from the moderators after multiple fact-checks against Trump. Really bad look for ABC News.” Sirius XM host Megyn Kelly blasted Muir and Davis, writing: “These moderators are a disgraceful failure and this is one of the most biased, unfair debates I have ever seen. Shame on you @ABC. The pile-on against Trump is so bad and so obvious this will backfire.”
