Overview: Legacy media coverage of the recent debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris portrayed Harris as the aggressor, with headlines focused on Trump being defensive. Conservatives pointed to biased moderators and selective fact-checking, as ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis often interrupted Trump but let Harris evade similar scrutiny.
Why It Matters: The integrity of media coverage during presidential debates plays a critical role in shaping public perception, and biased reporting can influence how voters assess candidates.
Who It Impacts: This impacts voters who rely on media outlets for objective reporting and those concerned about fair treatment of candidates during key political events.
Midway through the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, several major media outlets began publishing headlines that painted a picture of Harris firmly on the offensive and Trump on the defensive. Outlets like CNN, The New York Times, and NBC News emphasized Harris’s performance while seemingly ignoring what many conservatives saw as unfair moderation by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Headlines like “Harris Puts Trump on Defense” (CNN) and “Harris Attacks, Trump Defends” (The New York Times) set the tone for much of the media’s analysis of the debate.
From the start of the debate, Trump faced frequent interruptions from the moderators, who “fact-checked” his statements on issues ranging from violent crime to abortion. Conservatives were quick to call out the apparent bias in the moderation. Legacy media, however, focused heavily on moments when Harris pushed Trump to defend his record on key issues, including the January 6 Capitol riots and his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election.
CNN’s coverage highlighted Trump’s defense of the January 6 rioters and claimed he repeated “false conspiracy theories” about the 2020 election. The New York Times similarly framed the debate as a struggle for Trump, stating that he became visibly frustrated when the discussion turned to the Ukraine war and immigration. These outlets also noted Harris’s sharp criticisms, particularly on abortion and Trump’s relationships with foreign dictators.
One of the most contentious moments occurred when Trump discussed reports of Haitian migrants allegedly eating animals in Ohio, which Muir quickly interrupted to dispute as “unsubstantiated.” Muir also challenged Trump’s claim about violent crime statistics, citing an FBI report that seemingly contradicted Trump’s statement. Trump responded by arguing that the FBI’s data downplayed the true level of violent crime, a point that was largely glossed over by the media.
The moderators didn’t limit their fact-checking to crime. When Trump accused Democrats of allowing post-birth abortions in certain states, Davis stepped in to refute his statement, declaring, “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.” However, conservative outlets pushed back, pointing to a Minnesota law that eliminates a legal obligation for doctors to provide life-saving care to babies who survive abortions, which they argued supported Trump’s claim.
The debate was not just a contest between the two candidates; many on the right felt that the moderators were active participants in shaping the narrative. Conservative commentators, like Ben Shapiro, noted the unprecedented bias from the moderators, calling them “the story of the evening.” Political commentator Megyn Kelly also voiced her frustration, saying, “The pile-on against Trump is so bad and so obvious this will backfire,” signaling that the overt favoritism shown by the moderators could drive more support for Trump.
The debate underscored a broader issue that many conservatives see as a persistent problem: media bias. While outlets like CNN and NBC presented Harris as a dominant force in the debate, much of the conservative commentary focused on how biased moderation undermined the fairness of the event. With the 2024 election approaching, many voters are left questioning whether the media can be trusted to provide balanced coverage of the candidates.
