Fact Check: Did CNN's David Chalian call Michelle Obama 'Big Mike' on air during presidential debate coverage?

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: On Friday, June 28, a video circulated on TikTok where CNN's David Chalian is seen calling former First Lady Michelle Obama ‘Big Mike’ during Thursday’s presidential debate coverage.

However, according to PolitiFact, a subsequent investigation revealed that the video was doctored and that the network host did not mention Michelle Obama during his time on air.

What was the actual segment involving David Chalian and what was altered later?

The CNN video clip that went viral on X and TikTok after the June 27 presidential debate seemed credible at first, showing political analyst David Chalian announcing the results of a viewer poll.

"‘Who won the debate?’ we asked debate watchers," he said. "And the answer is a resounding ‘Donald Trump did.’"

Chalian proceeded to mention that 67% of viewers believed former President Donald Trump outperformed President Joe Biden during the first 2024 presidential debate.

However, 13 seconds into the 31-second clip, Chalian seemed to let a profanity slip as he spoke about other prominent Democrats, "I don't give a sh— if they bring out Gavin Newsom or maybe Hilary Clinton or even Big Mike. I mean, even Michelle Obama. Sorry, I don't know why I said 'Big Mike'."

TikTok identified this digitally altered video as part of its efforts to counter inauthentic, misleading, or false content.

A CNN spokesperson confirmed the video’s inauthenticity to the aforementioned outlet.

Additionally, readers provided context on the now-deleted X post, asserting that the clip was "digitally altered with a fake voice".

In the original video, Chalian did not talk about alternative Democratic nominees. Instead, he discussed the results of CNN polls conducted prior to the debate.

"Now, this group of debate watchers, they told us who they thought would win the debate going into it, before the debate, and take a look at how that changed over time," Chalian said. "Fifty-five percent thought before the debate that Donald Trump would win the debate. Forty-five percent thought Joe Biden would win the debate. Look at what the debate did to those expectations." 

Therefore, the claim that CNN's David Chalian called Michelle Obama ‘Big Mike’ is false. This incident underscores the importance of verifying the authenticity of information before drawing conclusions.