The latest political debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris has raised eyebrows for more reasons than one. The most glaring issue that emerged from the event wasn’t just the clashing of policy perspectives, but the clear bias from the debate moderators. ABC News anchor Linsey Davis, who co-moderated the debate with David Muir, admitted in a post-debate interview why they specifically targeted Trump for fact-checks—while largely ignoring Harris.
This revelation is more than just a footnote in the ever-growing narrative of media bias; it highlights how even debates, a cornerstone of American democracy, can be tilted to favor one side over the other. It wasn’t just the imbalance in fact-checking that was problematic, but the admission that the motivation behind it was rooted in a fear of poor optics for the Democratic Party.
The Setup: Uneven Ground from the Start
According to Linsey Davis, the reason Trump was fact-checked so rigorously was due to concerns about Joe Biden’s performance in a prior debate. In June, Biden’s weak showing raised serious questions about his cognitive fitness for office, stoking fears within the Democratic Party about the viability of his candidacy. The fallout from Biden’s performance led to rumors that his own party wanted him to step down.
This concern apparently drove Davis and Muir to take a different approach when moderating the Trump-Harris debate. Instead of holding both candidates to an even standard, the moderators seemed determined to avoid a repeat of Biden’s disastrous performance by taking special aim at Trump. Davis admitted to the Los Angeles Times that they fact-checked Trump because of the “concerns” raised during the Biden debate, but her reasoning is troubling. Instead of creating a fair forum for all candidates, the moderators preemptively decided to stack the deck against one.
As Davis put it: “People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators.”
The vague wording—“people were concerned” and “statements were allowed”—hides the fact that a decision was made to approach Trump’s statements with heightened scrutiny, while Harris was left unchecked. It’s one thing to hold all candidates accountable, but it’s another to apply different standards to protect one candidate from embarrassment.
A Double Standard in Action
Nowhere was this bias clearer than when Trump brought up the topic of abortion. During the debate, Trump highlighted how some states, including Washington D.C., have zero legal restrictions on abortion—a fact that many conservative voters are acutely aware of. He also referenced Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s infamous comments on post-birth abortion. For many conservatives, this is a critical issue, as the boundaries of abortion policy are not just about access but about fundamental questions of life and morality.
Rather than engaging with the substance of Trump’s claims or allowing Harris to defend her position, Davis stepped in to “fact-check” Trump. She asserted: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
While technically true—killing a baby post-birth is considered murder under U.S. law—the point Trump was making centered on the radical abortion policies some states have adopted, which allow for late-term abortions with very few restrictions. Davis’ fact-check glossed over the fact that Harris and many Democrats refuse to clarify their stance on any abortion restrictions. By focusing on a technicality, Davis effectively shielded Harris from the deeper moral and policy debate that Trump was trying to raise.
Harris, for her part, was not subjected to the same level of scrutiny. During the debate, she made sweeping claims about the economy, healthcare, and immigration that went unchallenged. For example, Harris touted the Biden administration’s economic policies without addressing the ongoing inflation crisis, or the fact that many Americans are struggling with the rising costs of essentials like food and fuel. The moderators allowed these claims to go unchecked, leaving the audience with a one-sided view of the debate.
The Impact of Media Bias on the Democratic Process
The role of the media in moderating debates is supposed to be one of neutrality, where both sides are held to the same standard. However, as Davis’ comments reveal, this wasn’t the case in the Trump-Harris debate. The decision to fact-check only Trump, while giving Harris a pass, confirms what many conservatives have suspected for years: the mainstream media is not only biased, but actively works to shape the narrative in favor of the Democratic Party.
When the moderators of a presidential debate are more concerned with protecting one candidate from potential damage than they are with presenting the facts to the American people, the entire democratic process is undermined. This is no longer about policy or leadership; it’s about controlling the optics and ensuring one side doesn’t look bad.
As Davis herself noted in her interview: “There is a stereotype that I am acutely aware of that I can’t be unbiased covering this moment.” While she brushed off concerns of bias, her acknowledgment is telling. She’s aware of the perception, yet unapologetically continues to operate in a way that fuels the belief that mainstream outlets have abandoned journalistic integrity.
The Bigger Picture: Trust in the Media is Dwindling
Davis and Muir’s decision to focus on fact-checking Trump is symptomatic of a larger issue that is crippling public trust in the media. According to a Gallup poll in 2022, only 34% of Americans trust the media to report the news fairly. This decline in trust has been especially pronounced among conservatives, who often feel that their perspectives are misrepresented or ignored.
The Trump-Harris debate is just the latest example of why this mistrust is growing. When voters tune into a debate, they expect the moderators to be fair and impartial. Instead, what they got was a premeditated decision to fact-check one candidate while letting the other slide. This not only creates an uneven playing field but also leaves viewers questioning the reliability of the information they’re being presented.
Conclusion: A Call for Fairness
The Trump-Harris debate should serve as a wake-up call for those concerned about the integrity of our political discourse. When moderators like Linsey Davis admit that they approached the debate with a predetermined bias against one candidate, it’s clear that something is wrong. The media’s role is to facilitate open and fair discussion, not to editorialize in real-time to protect one side from criticism.
If we want to restore trust in the media and the political process, we must demand more from those who moderate our debates. We need to hold moderators accountable for their biases and ensure that all candidates are treated equally. Until that happens, debates will continue to be less about substance and more about controlling the narrative—a disservice to the American public and the democratic process as a whole.
References:
- Linsey Davis’ admission to Los Angeles Times
- Gallup poll on trust in media