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Credit: Inside the MagicFor quite some time, former President Donald Trump has not had a good relationship with The Walt Disney Company or ABC News. And things might just have reached an all-time low.
On September 10, ABC News hosted the first Presidential debate between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The debate was moderated by ABC News anchors, David Muir and Linsey Davis. During the debate, both candidates were asked about pressing issues like the economy, immigration, and their stance on abortion.
Related: Donald Trump Lashes Out at Disney Company Subsidiary, Threatens to End Original Agreement
Several times during the debate, both David Muir and Linsey Davis were forced to correct Trump when he made outrageous and baseless claims. Ms. Davis fact-checked the former President when he tried to claim that Democrats supported post-birth abortions and that the return of Roe v. Wade would allow for late-term and post-birth abortions, which were never legal, even before Roe v. Wade was overturned.
David Muir fact-checked Trump when he made the claim that illegal Haitian immigrants were eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, made similar claims, but they have no basis in reality. A self-proclaimed “social media influencer” from Ohio made the claim, but the Springfield city manager said the claims were absolutely false and there was no evidence to back them up.
After the debate ended, most news outlets reported that Vice President Harris “won” the debate with her strong talking points and her ability to relate to the American people. Polls showed that viewers felt the same way as the news anchors, with even a Republican-sponsored survey confirming that viewers thought Trump “lost”.
In a CNN/SSRS poll of 605 registered voters, 63 percent said Harris won to Trump’s 37 percent, giving Harris a 26-point favorable margin. In a YouGov poll of 2,166 registered voters, 54 percent said they thought Harris won to 31 percent for Trump, a 23-point margin in the vice president’s favor. In a Republican-sponsored SoCal Strategies/On Point Politics/Red Eagle Politics poll of 572 likely voters, Harris beat Trump with 53 percent to his 34 percent, a 19-point margin.
Related: Legendary ABC News Anchor Forced To Apologize for Comments About President Biden
Just minutes after the debate, Vice President Harris even received the endorsement of superstar Taylor Swift. After Swift’s public endorsement, more than 330,000 people registered to vote.
However, there is one person who does not think the former President lost the debate. That would be Donald Trump.
After the debate, Trump took to Truth Social, claiming that everyone was saying he won the debate. He also said that he didn’t just have to debate the Vice President, he also had to debate David Muir and Linsey Davis. He then demanded that “everybody at ABC Fake News” be fired, including the “two lightweight anchors” who moderated.
Of course, neither ABC News nor any Disney spokesperson has said that the former President’s claims are valid. While Mr. Trump might feel that the moderators were not fair to him, the majority of news outlets and voters said that it was one of the most well-moderated debates in recent history. The moderators asked fair questions and only fact-checked when necessary, making sure they did not become a part of the debate itself.
This is actually not the first time that Mr. Trump has clashed with an ABC News anchor. In July, he attended the convention of the National Association of Black Journalists and agreed to an interview with ABC News anchor Rachel Scott, a black woman.
Related: ABC Star Received Death Threats After Donald Trump Interview
Ms. Scott asked the former President about things he has said about black Americans in the past, specifically pointing out the baseless claims that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States (he was born in Hawaii). Mr. Trump did not like her line of questioning, and he called her “very hostile” and “very nasty.”
After the interview at the NABJ — in which Mr. Trump also said that Kamala Harris wasn’t black until she “turned black” — Ms. Scott reportedly received death threats from Trump supporters.
What did you think of the debate between Mr. Trump and Vice President Harris? How do you think David Muir and Linsey Davis did? Let us know in the comments.
This post originally appeared on Disney Dining.