In the wake of last month’s presidential debate, ABC News is feeling the heat as the fallout from the event continues to mount. Moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis have come under fire for their apparent bias during the heated exchange between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. As a result, the network has seen a significant decline in viewership, with many Americans expressing their dissatisfaction with what they perceive as a blatant attempt to undermine Trump.
During the debate, Muir and Davis frequently interrupted Trump to fact-check his statements, a move that raised eyebrows among conservative commentators and viewers alike. Ironically, many of Trump’s remarks turned out to be accurate, further vindicating him while exposing the moderators’ bias. Meanwhile, Harris appeared to sail through the debate without any similar scrutiny, giving the impression that it was a coordinated three-on-one assault on the former president.
Reports indicate that following this controversial moderating, ratings for Muir’s “World News Tonight” plummeted, with nearly one million viewers—12%—tuning out in the days after the debate. Conservative commentators have rallied to highlight this decline as a victory for accountability in media. Nick Sortor, a conservative social media personality, took to X to voice his approval: “Ratings for David Muir’s ‘World News Tonight’ TANKED following his disastrous debate moderating. GOOD! Viewership dropped by almost ONE MILLION in just three days!”
Sortor continued to emphasize that the American public is increasingly weary of media bias against Trump and the Republican Party. “The American people saw the media bias that night, and they’re FED UP. Now, Muir is on a damage control tour to defend his reputation. He’s feeling the heat!” Other users echoed his sentiments, further criticizing Muir’s approach and the network’s handling of the debate.
Conservative commentator Chuck Callesto questioned the judgment of the moderators, stating, “Did they think the American people were not paying attention to this sort of thing?” Sortor followed up with another comment, asserting, “They thought they were going to get away with blatantly lying to you on a grand stage. Because they usually do.” Many social media users have taken it a step further, calling Muir a “Democrat mouthpiece pretending to be a journalist.”
Critics of ABC News are adamant that such bias will not go unpunished. One user stated, “The majority of American people are tired of being lied to & manipulated by MSM, including @ABC and so-called journalists like @DavidMuir. We’re intelligent, informed, and capable of seeing through their bias. They are choosing their own path to irrelevancy, and it’s no loss for us.”
As reactions continued to pour in, it became evident that viewers felt that the debate was nothing more than an orchestrated ambush designed to hurt Trump and elevate Harris. “It was absolutely egregious how they created a complete ambush to hurt Trump,” one commenter said. “Maybe these actors posing as journalists should go into movies and make room for real journalists.”
Another user remarked, “It shows you what kind of echo chamber they exist in. He has no idea what the country is actually feeling. Just another talking head, reading lines being fed to him.” This sentiment highlights the growing disconnect between the mainstream media and the American public, particularly among conservative viewers.
In an era where trust in the media is waning, the backlash against ABC News serves as a reminder that viewers are increasingly discerning about the biases of their news sources. As former President Trump himself commented on the debate and Muir’s handling of it, the stakes are higher than ever for networks that choose to prioritize sensationalism over integrity. The question remains: will ABC learn from this backlash and recalibrate its approach, or will it continue down the path of partisanship? Only time will tell.
