Trump Campaign Criticizes ABC Moderator Muir Over Crime 'Fact-Check' During Debate
Following the release of new crime statistics by the Justice Department, former President Donald Trump’s campaign issued a strong statement on Thursday, taking aim at ABC's David Muir, one of the moderators from Tuesday's presidential debate.
During the debate, Trump claimed that crime rates, especially those related to illegal immigrants, have surged under the Biden-Harris administration. In response, Muir countered, saying, “As you know, the FBI reports that overall violent crime is coming down in this country.”
The Trump campaign highlighted data from the Justice Department's “National Crime Victimization Survey,” which was released on Thursday. According to the report, violent crime saw a 37% increase from 2020 to 2023, with rape incidents rising by 42%, robberies by 63%, and stranger violence by 61%, as reported by Just the News.
“If Kamala is given another four years and the opportunity to continue her soft-on-crime, defund-the-police, and no cash bail policies, America will keep descending into a crime-filled hellhole for illegal immigrants, Venezuelan gangsters, and drug dealers,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“Only President Trump can restore law and order, support our police, secure the border, deport illegal immigrants, and ensure criminals face the fullest consequences of the law. If you want safety, VOTE TRUMP,” she added.
Former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly voiced her criticism on her SiriusXM podcast Tuesday night, calling out the moderators of the ABC debate between Trump and Harris for their apparent bias.
Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis faced criticism from both the left and the right for their constant challenges to Trump, often fact-checking him, while essentially giving Harris a pass. Post-debate reviews showed that Harris, too, made several misstatements, including repeating the debunked claim regarding Trump’s comments on the Charlottesville events in 2017.
“I’m appalled. I’m ashamed of those moderators at ABC News. They did exactly what their bosses expected of them. The head of ABC News is a close friend of Kamala Harris and is credited with introducing Kamala and her husband. They followed Dana Walden’s agenda tonight. It was three against one on that debate stage,” Kelly said.
“It was three against one. It's easy to appear in control when both moderators are entirely on your side. Trump did his best under the circumstances, but it was like facing three opponents in a boxing ring. He held his ground but was thrown off a few times, leading to some defensiveness and frustration — and I felt the same way. Did you?” she continued.
“This was a mistake, entrusting ABC News with this debate. Republicans need to learn from this mistake, just as Democrats never agree to debates unless they fully trust the moderators. This should be the last time Republicans make this error because tonight, those two moderators tried to undermine Donald Trump,” Kelly added.
“The number of fact-checks against him, with none aimed at her — none. I can’t recall a single fact-check on anything Harris said, even though she lied multiple times. The moderators let her get away with it. But when it came to Trump, they claimed he was lying, even when it was just their opinion,” the SiriusXM host noted.
“When Trump said he was being sarcastic about his claim that he narrowly lost in 2020, David Muir interrupted, saying, ‘I didn’t hear sarcasm.’ Who cares what you heard? Who made you the chief political analyst? Your role is to be the neutral anchor of World News Tonight,” Kelly said.
“That’s something you say to your significant other, David, not during a debate. ‘It didn’t sound like sarcasm to me.’ Keep that to yourself. That’s not your place. Let Kamala Harris or people like me replay the sound bite and let the audience decide. But you crossed a line, and they kept doing it to Trump throughout the debate,” she added.