Former President Donald Trump’s inner circle has expressed outrage over what they perceive as biased moderation during Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The debate, moderated by ABC journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis, quickly became a flashpoint for criticism from Trump’s supporters, who felt the moderators were unfairly targeting the former president.

Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, took to social media to voice his frustration, accusing the moderators of being partial. “Weird how the hack moderators …are only ‘Fact checking’ Trump and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop. The Fake News is the enemy of the people,” he posted. This sentiment was echoed by others within Trump’s camp, further fueling claims of media bias.

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a frequent critic of mainstream media, also weighed in on the debate, arguing that it was “three vs one,” with the moderators allegedly siding with Harris. “The ABC moderators clearly shilling for Kamala Harris,” Gabbard posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump himself echoed these grievances during a post-debate interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, describing the debate as a “three against one” scenario. Trump has consistently criticized ABC in the weeks leading up to the debate, particularly over its coverage of his campaign and the debate rules. Minutes after leaving the stage, Trump took to Truth Social, declaring, “I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE.”

Criticism from Trump supporters did not stop there. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) lambasted Muir and Davis’s performance, calling it “an embarrassment to journalism” during an appearance on Fox News. Rubio argued that the moderators were blatantly biased, posing tough questions to Trump while offering Harris an easier path. “Literally the question to Trump was why did you do the horrible thing,” Rubio stated. “And the question to Harris is what do you think about the horrible thing Trump said.”

Throughout the debate, Muir and Davis fact-checked Trump on several issues, including his statements on internet conspiracies regarding migrants and Democratic positions on abortion. The moderators’ real-time pushback stood in stark contrast to the approach taken by CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash during the first debate between Trump and President Biden, which some observers criticized for lacking sufficient fact-checking.

The criticism directed at ABC’s moderators highlights a broader pattern seen in presidential debates. Trump was widely viewed as the winner of his first debate with Biden, during which Democrats criticized the CNN moderators for perceived bias. This time, with Harris being seen as the winner by many, the roles have reversed, and Republicans are now taking aim at the moderators.

ABC has yet to respond to the criticism leveled against its anchors, but the backlash underscores the intense scrutiny faced by debate moderators, who are often caught in the crossfire of partisan disputes.

Adding to the chorus of criticism, Meghan McCain, a former co-host of ABC’s “The View,” accused the moderators of failing to address the concerns of everyday Americans. “These are elite Manhattan debate questions – the American people are suffering and can’t pay for groceries and deserve answers on how it will get better,” McCain commented. “I don’t know what the hell this is but these moderators are doing the American people a grave disservice.”

As the dust settles from the debate, the controversy over the moderators’ performance is likely to continue, reflecting the deep divisions that characterize the current political landscape.

Credit: The Hill