(Cupventi.com) – Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for ABC News to fire its entire staff after his less-than-stellar performance in Tuesday night’s presidential debate. Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, where he claimed he had a “GREAT DEBATE,” despite numerous polls suggesting otherwise.
“People are just starting to give me credit for having a GREAT DEBATE,” Trump posted, adding, “The Voters and Voter Polls showed it, but the Fake News Media wasn’t giving the credit that was due.”
Contrary to Trump’s claims, early polls show the majority of viewers believed his opponent, Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, won the debate. A CNN/SSRS poll of 605 registered voters revealed 63% thought Harris had the upper hand, compared to Trump’s 37%. Similarly, a YouGov poll of 2,166 registered voters showed Harris with 54% of the vote to Trump’s 31%, a 23-point margin in her favor. A Republican-backed SoCal Strategies/On Point Politics/Red Eagle Politics poll also found Harris leading with 53% to Trump’s 34%.
Trump also accused the debate moderators, Linsey Davis and David Muir, of partisanship, calling them “lightweight anchors” who had “brought disgrace onto the company.” He claimed, “I wasn’t debating one person, I was debating three,” referencing his criticisms of the moderators, who fact-checked some of his statements during the debate. One of Trump’s claims, regarding the execution of babies, was flagged as false by the moderators.
On the other hand, some media commentators praised Davis and Muir for their handling of the debate. Justin Peters from Slate called the debate “the best-moderated presidential debate of the Trump era,” commending their “sharp questions” and “calm approach.”
However, Fox News host Howard Kurtz offered a starkly different perspective, criticizing the moderators as “blatantly biased” against Trump and giving ABC a “D-” rating for the debate.
Following the debate, Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, saw its stock price plummet by 10%. This marked the company’s lowest valuation since it went public in March, raising questions about its financial future.