Here’s How ABC Pulled off a Trick During Presidential Debate That No One Has in the Trump Era

ABC News successfully conducted the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on September 10. The news network, which the Right has accused of favoring the Harris-Walz campaign in the recent past, pulled off something that nobody was able to in the Trump era— real-time fact-checking during the debate. 

Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis were lauded for handling the debate well with a set of rules similar to the previous one organized by CNN, wherein microphones were disabled for the non-speaking participant to avoid any interruptions and allow each candidate to speak freely. The moderators with their calm demeanor set a benchmark for future debates. Additionally, they were also able to prevent speakers from going off-topic. The televised event featured a moment when Trump claimed Haitian immigrants were eating pets of people in Ohio. This was refuted on the spot by the moderators.

After Trump finished, Muir stated, "I just want to clarify here, you bring up Springfield, Ohio. And ABC News did reach out to the city manager there. He told us there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," according to Slate. The news network ensured that the rebuttals were neutral in nature and didn't deviate from the debate's theme. In another exchange, Davis rebutted the Republican nominee on his claims related to abortion.

After the Republican nominee asserted that babies are being 'aborted' in Democratic states, Davis stressed, "There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born," and proceeded to give Harris a chance at voicing her stance on the issue. "Madame Vice President, I want your response to President Trump," she added. According to the news outlet, the moderators had predicted that Trump would surely shoot his shot with these themes during the debate as he has in his rallies. Hence, the ABC presenters had researched, interviewed, and fact-checked claims pre-debate.

MAGA supporters, however, accused the outlet of being unfair to Trump yet again. The moderators had in fact corrected Trump only a total of four times during the debate and Trump logged 43 minutes and 3 seconds of talking time, while Harris only 37 minutes and 41 seconds. The debate is the only scheduled one between the two political opponents. Fox News has proposed another, and Harris too challenged Trump for one right after they wrapped the war of words. Trump, however, has said that he is “less inclined to because [he] had a great night,” as per AP News. Additionally, on Truth Social, he penned, “That was my best debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!” alluding to the two ABC News moderators.