Journalist Mark Halperin accused the media of protecting Vice President Kamala Harris “at all costs” after Tuesday night's pivotal ABC News presidential debate.
“Not only was there a news organization that was committed to continuing to protect her at all costs on Election Day, but we saw in the debate coverage, which was ridiculously lopsided, that no one acknowledged that it was ridiculously lopsided. In fact, most praised the great job that ABC did,” Halperin said during a livestream on his media platform 2WAY on Friday.
ABC debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis drew criticism from conservatives after they fact-checked Trump five times during the heated event and did not correct Harris even once. The moderators were also accused of allowing Harris to get away with explaining why she changed her positions on several past progressive policies.
Halperin, a former ABC News political director, said the moderators' soft treatment of Harris' policy changes was the “biggest failure of the night.”
ABC PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: MODERATORS DAVID MUIR AND LINSEY DAVIS FACT-CHECK TRUMP 5 TIMES, NONE FOR HARRIS
ABC presidential debate co-moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked former President Trump four times during the 90-minute event and did not correct Vice President Kamala Harris even once Tuesday night. (ABC News)
“The biggest thing for me was last night, which was the best opportunity (and if Harris' campaign continues to hide it, perhaps the only opportunity) to get her to explain her shift in position. For me, that was the biggest failure,” he said.
While Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. VanceThey have sat down for at least 44 interviews since the Harris-Walz ticket was formed, Harris and her running mate have only sat down for seven unscripted interviews, with less than two months until Election Day.
The debate may have been Harris's only remaining opportunity to explain her shifting policy positions, he argued.
“They asked her a question, she didn't answer it, and then they completely dropped her,” Halperin said.
Toward the end of the debate, ABC's Linsey David mentioned Harris's past support for abolishing private health care before asking the candidate what her current proposal on health care was.
FOX NEWS MEDIA PROPOSES A SECOND HARRIS-TRUMP DEBATE, MODERATED BY MARTHA MACCALLUM AND BRET BAIER
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former U.S. President Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Getty Images)
Former President Trump's performance was also criticized by Halperin as the “worst.” [presidential] “The best debate I've ever seen.”
Trump failed to get his message across that Harris is a far-left radical, he argued.
“Last night he proved what most of us thought was true: he is absolutely incapable of doing it,” Halperin said.
Despite what he called biased media coverage and Trump's poor performance, Halperin was not convinced the debate would have much of an impact on the polls.
“There may be movement, there may not be,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ABC News for comment.
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