ABC sets record straight on whether Harris was prepped before presidential debate with Trump

ABC's response came after right-wingers, including Donald Trump, accused the news organization of being biased towards Kamala Harris
Donald Trump labeled ABC News 'most dishonest' and accused the news organization of being biased towards Vice President Kamala Harris during their presidential debate on September 10 (Getty Images)
Donald Trump labeled ABC News 'most dishonest' and accused the news organization of being biased towards Vice President Kamala Harris during their presidential debate on September 10 (Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: ABC News claimed Vice President Kamala Harris was not given any questions before the presidential debate against Donald Trump.

A representative of the television network told The Daily Beast, “Absolutely not. Harris was not given any questions before the debate.”

Also, as per the debate rules, “No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.”

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, debates Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. president Donald Trump, for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning the Democratic Party nomination following President Joe Biden’s decision to leave the race, Harris faced off with Trump in what may be the only debate of the 2024 race for the White House. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris faced Donald Trump for the first time on September 10 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Donald Trump calls ABC ‘most dishonest news organization’

The response came after right-wingers, including Donald Trump, accused ABC of being biased towards Kamala Harris.

They have also alleged that the Democratic presidential nominee was “awfully familiar” with the debate questions.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the spin room after debating Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, at Pennsylvania Convention Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning the Democratic Party nomination following President Joe Biden's decision to leave the race, Harris faced off with Trump in what may be the only debate of the 2024 race for the White House. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Donald Trump addressed reporters in the spin room after debating Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, at Pennsylvania Convention Center on September 10, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, September 11, the 45th president sat down for a live interview with ‘Fox & Friends’, where he claimed, as per The New York Times, “I thought it was terrible from the standpoint of ABC. They are the most dishonest, in my opinion, the most dishonest news organization.”

“CNN was much more honorable. The debate we had with Biden was a much more honorable one,” Trump added while referring to the June 27 debate he had with President Joe Biden.

ABC accused of being ‘on the DNC payroll’

 On September 12, Leading Report, a website infamous for sharing false information, tweeted, “BREAKING: ABC whistleblower allegedly will release an affidavit claiming the Harris campaign was given sample questions that were ‘essentially the same questions that were given during the debate', as well as assurances that Trump would be ‘fact-checked’ and she would not.”



 

Bill Ackman, hedge fund manager, re-posted Leading Report allegations and wrote, “If this turns out to be true, this is a serious breach of journalistic ethics and a death blow to @ABCNetwork reputation.”



 



 

Also, Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime Trump supporter, added on X, “The moderators might as well be on the DNC payroll. This is ridiculous. This is the worst moderated debate in history.”

An X account named @Travis_4_Trump even added, “Happening Now:  Things are not looking good for Kamala Harris and ABC News.  First, a whistleblower has offered to come forward with proof that Kamala was given the questions beforehand and promised Trump would be fact-checked. Now, Mark Penn, a former advisor for the Clintons, is calling on an independent investigation into ABC News for rigging a debate. The question is, will ABC and Harris admit to cheating?”



 

Kamala Harris’ campaign calls Donald Trump ‘chicken’

Meanwhile, after the September 10 debate moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social page, as per The Daily Beast, “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!!” that led to a fiery response from Harris' campaign chairman, David Plouffe.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris debate for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After earning the Democratic Party nomination following President Joe Biden's decision to leave the race, Harris faced off with Trump in what may be the only debate of the 2024 race for the White House. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debated against each other on September 10 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Plouffe said on X, “At long last we discover his spirit animal. The Chicken. 🐔”



 



 

“Let’s see if Chicken Man excises Hannibal Lecter out of his speech tonight. If he does, demonstrates he was humiliated on that point on Tuesday night. If he doesn’t, well, that would be awesome. Classic win, win,” he added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

According to FEC filings, Elon Musk contributed $75 million to the Senate Leadership Fund on September 9 and another $83 million on September 23
50 minutes ago
Marco Rubio questioned how many political candidates could win elections by promising to put America’s interests behind those of other countries
1 hour ago
Virginia contractor Agile1Tech’s initial $22,000 contract was expanded by $27,600 to cover three additional chandeliers
1 hour ago
The tense exchange unfolded during a healthcare event in Virginia Beach, where Kennedy appeared alongside Republican Rep Jennifer Kiggans
1 hour ago
Donald Trump said he had declined criminal investigations into political rivals but hinted another impeachment attempt could change his stance
2 hours ago
'President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,' a White House spokesperson said
2 hours ago
Donald Trump criticized John Cornyn and Karl Rove as 'weak and ineffective political hacks,' claiming they were making it harder for Ken Paxton to win
2 hours ago
Multiple reports found no evidence that Katie Zacharia had passed a bar exam or been admitted to practice law in any US state
3 hours ago
Trump called for deterring violence in rough neighborhoods where firefighters and other first responders faced deadly attacks while on duty
10 hours ago
About half of the donors held federal contracts during Trump's second term but no evidence linked their donations to favorable treatment
12 hours ago