Tuesday night’s debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris could have been a chaotic mess, full of convoluted arguments, irrefutable claims and wildly off-topic talk, but ABC hosts David Muir and Lindsey Davis kept the candidates on point.
Muir and Davis were taking on the first presidential challenger between two candidates virtually tied in the polls and were trying to “honor the time agreement and ensure a civil debate” under the ABC debate rules negotiated over weeks. That was no easy task.
Though they had some less-than-perfect moments, the pair were largely praised for a strong performance: They effectively steered the debate back to the original questions on key topics like the economy, immigration, abortion rights and the peaceful transition of power, and offered key fact-checking remarks when necessary.
After Trump made the outlandish claim that Democrats support the “execution” of babies after birth and accused Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, of supporting abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy, Davis clarified the facts: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after birth,” Davis told viewers.
Muir also questioned Trump about his involvement in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and his belief that he won the election despite abundant evidence to the contrary.
But the hosts don’t always have the final say when it comes to fact-checking, as when Trump made the unfounded claim that immigrants were “eating pets” in communities across the country.
After Trump finished speaking, Muir shared an ABC News report in which he reached out to the mayor of Springfield, Illinois.
“He said there have been no credible reports of specific allegations that pets have been harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Muir said. Trump interrupted Muir as he was finishing up his fact-check, repeating, “I’ve seen people on TV saying, ‘My dog was taken and eaten.'”
The moderators allowed the candidates to speak and respond when it was their turn, but were quick to curb any over-time rants.
Muir and Davis are veteran journalists who have combined to spend decades helping Americans understand the positions of their presidents.
Muir, anchor and editor of ABC News’ “World News Tonight,” has worked at the network since 2003 and has moderated both party’s primary debates.
Davis, who hosts the Sunday evening news programs “ABC News Live Prime” and “World News Tonight,” has been with the network since 2007. He previously moderated the Democratic primary debates in September 2019 and February 2020.
Despite their success in facilitating the debate, not everyone was happy with the outcome, with conservatives viewing the team as biased, primarily because they had to correct the record on many of Trump’s claims.
“The moderators are a disgraceful flop and this is one of the most biased and unfair debates I have ever seen,” Megyn Kelly wrote to X during the debate broadcast. “Shame on you @ABC.”
For more information on the 2024 US elections, please click here: