Philadelphia: In the first presidential debate of the 2024 US election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off, hosted by ABC News. The debate lasted 90 minutes and was held at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center. Throughout the debate, ABC News moderators fact-checked the candidates’ statements to clarify any exaggerations or false claims. During the debate, Trump was fact-checked four times, while no fact-checks were issued for Kamala Harris.
This approach sparked criticism from conservative viewers and the Trump campaign. Trump spokesperson Brian Hughes commented, “You had moderators live rebutting as if they’re on the team together.”
ABC News had previously stated they would not commit to fact-checking everything. Rick Klein, the political director of ABC News, explained that their goal was to facilitate a meaningful debate without over-committing to fact-checks.
One of the fact-checks came when moderator Linsey Davis pushed back on Trump’s claim that some Democrats support executing babies after birth, clarifying, “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
Another exchange occurred when moderator David Muir challenged Trump’s statement about Haitian migrants eating dogs in Springfield, Ohio, citing local officials who found no credible reports of pets being harmed. Trump defended his position, saying he saw people on television suggest otherwise.
Muir also corrected Trump’s claim about rising violent crime, citing the FBI, and questioned Trump’s comments about the 2020 election. Muir stated that multiple lawsuits had found no widespread fraud, but Trump maintained his stance.
Trump seemed to want to move away from the topic of the 2020 election, saying, “That’s old news,” as he shifted focus to current issues.
ABC Moderators Fact-Check Donald Trump Four Times in Debate, No Challenges for Kamala Harris world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World News Today
