Throughout the 90-minute spectacle, Muir and Davis repeatedly fact-checked Trump in real time, interrupting him on several occasions to clarify statements they deemed inaccurate. Harris, on the other hand, was given considerably more leeway, her responses often going unchallenged. Viewers immediately took notice, and by the time the closing statements were delivered, social media was ablaze with accusations of bias.
“Are Muir and Davis running for office too?” tweeted one frustrated viewer. “If so, they should put their names on the ballot because they sure seem to think they’re part of the debate.”
The fallout was swift. Twitter/X became a battleground, with hashtags like #RiggedDebate and #FireTheModerators trending for hours after the event. Even ABC’s own comment sections were flooded with angry posts, many accusing the network of turning what should have been a neutral platform into a partisan attack on Trump.
Perhaps the most immediate and painful consequence of the debate was ABC’s plummeting ratings. According to industry insiders, the network saw a significant drop in viewership following the debate, with many calling it the “worst performance” in recent history.
