Linsey Davis and David Muir called 'disgusting' for failing to fact-check Harris' claims during debate

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris promised to be a dramatic event, but the real controversy arose from how the moderators were perceived.

ABC hosts David Muir and Linsey Davis found themselves in hot water, with viewers calling them “disgusting” and “biased” for the way they moderated the debate.

Viewers criticize ABC Moderators for bias

The viewers' disappointment was evident in a poll by The US Sun. With less than two months until the major election, people were eagerly watching to see the first face-off between the two presidential nominees.

According to the poll, 37% of participants were most frustrated by the candidates' failure to answer the questions posed. Additionally, 30% of viewers—297 out of 1,000—were disturbed by what they perceived as false claims from both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

In third place were the more outlandish statements made during the debate, with about 21% of participants finding these far-fetched claims particularly bothersome.

But what really sparked conversation was the performance of the moderators themselves. Muir and Davis faced heavy criticism for their handling of the debate, with many viewers feeling that they were clearly biased in favor of Harris, giving her an unfair advantage.

"The moderators were totally favoring Harris and it was disgusting," wrote one person.

"The moderates were clearly biased against Trump," another responded.

"Clear moderator bias," someone else chimed in. "Harris got an average 40 seconds more time than Trump. Trump was debating three not one."

"Harris continually lying about everything," read a response. "Kamala lied about everything," another alleged.

Donald Trump’s clash with the moderators

Donald Trump supporters were particularly upset with how David Muir and Linsey Davis managed the debate, especially regarding fact-checking.

Trump was interrupted by the hosts at least five times, while Harris wasn’t fact-checked at all. This led many to feel that the moderators were unfairly lenient with Harris.

One of the most heated moments of the night came when Trump was asked about his views on abortion. Davis brought up Trump’s past statements about how he was “killing” Roe v Wade and how he had called himself “the most pro-life president in American history.”

However, Trump had recently said that the six-week abortion ban in Florida was “too short,” even indicating he would vote against a ballot initiative to overturn the ban in the state.

Trump attempted to clarify his position, stating, "The reason why I’m doing that vote is because… they have abortion in the ninth month."

However, Davis quickly interrupted to fact-check him, declaring in a somewhat condescending tone, "There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born."

The situation escalated when Trump raised a debunked conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants allegedly eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. "The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating—their eating the pets of the people that live there," he claimed.

Muir immediately countered, stating that the network had contacted the Springfield city manager, who denied any such reports. The city manager said there were "no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community."

Trump refused to back down, insisting he had seen people on TV complaining about their dogs being taken. Muir, however, remained firm, stating, "I’m not taking this from television. I'm taking it from the city manager."

The exchange continued to escalate until Muir eventually redirected the conversation back to Harris, though the tension remained palpable.

Donald Trump and allies accuse moderators of bias, claim debate was a 'three-on-one' attack

One of the biggest complaints from Donald Trump supporters was that Kamala Harris wasn't fact-checked at all during the debate, despite making several statements that were either incorrect or exaggerated.

For example, Harris mentioned the infamous 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, claiming that then-President Trump had referred to "very fine people" on both sides.

This statement has been a point of contention for years, with Trump’s critics accusing him of referring to neo-Nazis as "very fine people."

In reality, Trump was referring to individuals protesting the removal of a Robert E Lee statue. Despite this, neither Davis nor Muir corrected Harris’ statement or any other claims she made throughout the debate.

The lack of fact-checking on Harris’ side led Trump and his allies to accuse the moderators of turning the debate into a three-on-one attack. Trump took to Truth Social to vent his frustrations. "I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!" he wrote.

While speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity in the spin room after the debate, Trump said he "anticipated" the biased behavior of the moderators. "We had a lot of negative stuff. They had 100% positive coverage on ABC and I had 94% negative," he explained.

New York Representative Elise Stefanik also weighed in, praising Trump for delivering a "powerful America First message" despite what she perceived as an unfair advantage given to Harris.

"They were pro-Kamala activists who baselessly attacked President Trump leading to a 3-on-1 debate while allowing Kamala to lie repeatedly," Stefanik said, adding, "President Trump won overwhelmingly and will win again on Election Day."