In a recent episode of her Sirius XM show, Megyn Kelly, a prominent conservative commentator, criticized ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for their handling of the 2024 presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Kelly accused the moderators of bias, suggesting they were "trying to steal" the election.
According to the Daily Caller, following the debate in Philadelphia, Trump echoed Kelly's sentiments on Truth Social, accusing ABC News of colluding with Harris against him. Kelly, sharing the same viewpoint, lambasted the network and the broader media industry for what she perceives as a pro-Democrat bias. "Well, I watched it. Did you watch it? Im disgusted. Im disgusted. Im ashamed of those moderators at ABC News. They did exactly what their bosses wanted them to do," Kelly stated.
Kelly also highlighted Harris's longstanding relationship with Disney executive Dana Walden, a relationship that dates back to 1994, as reported by The New York Times. Walden, whose portfolio includes ABC, has been a consistent donor to Harris's political campaigns since her run for San Francisco district attorney in 2003. Walden is also credited with introducing Harris to Doug Emhoff, who has been acquainted with Walden's husband, Matt, since the 1980s. Despite these connections, ABC maintains that Walden does not influence editorial decisions.
Kelly, however, suggested otherwise. "They did Dana Waldens bidding tonight," she asserted. "It was three against one on that debate stage this evening." She further criticized the debate's dynamics, stating, "Its very easy to look like you know what youre doing when both moderators are entirely on your side. Trump did the best he could under the circumstances, but it really was like three fighters in the ring pummeling one opponent. And Trump tried to take them all on."
Despite what she described as an unbalanced situation, Kelly commended Trump's performance, although she did note his defensiveness and justified anger. She referred to his participation in the debate as "a mistake," urging Republicans to learn from this experience. "The Republicans must learn from this mistake, the same way the Democrats never, ever agree to do anything with moderators they dont entirely trust," Kelly advised. "This should be the last time Republicans ever do this because those two moderators tried to sink Donald Trump tonight."
Kelly also accused the moderators of allowing Harris to get away with various falsehoods while scrutinizing Trump's remarks. She particularly took issue with Muir's response to a sarcastic comment Trump made about losing the 2020 election "by a whisker." Kelly retorted, "Who gives a shit what you heard? Who died and left you political analyst-in-chief? Youre supposed to be the objective news anchor of World News Tonight. Thats a comment you make to your significant other, David, not on the debate stage."
Kelly concluded her critique by accusing ABC News of attempting to manipulate the election outcome. "Theyre trying to steal this election. Theyre openly working to sink him," she claimed. However, she expressed confidence that the American public would discern the network's bias and empathize with Trump. "No fair-minded person could think anything other than that they were in the tank for him and it was three against one," Kelly asserted.
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