ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis made a startling admission about her attempts to “fact-check” Donald Trump during his debate with Kamala Harris.
Republicans were furious with ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for refusing to fact-check that Harris lied about Trump’s views on IVF.
In a new interview, Davis says it was a conscious decision to do the fact checks after watching how Trump and Joe Biden performed at the CNN debate in June.
“People were concerned that the statements would be allowed to hang and not be challenged by candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators,” Davis said.
Davis even anticipated Trump’s comments on abortion and IVF, saying that “it was an obvious thing that needed to be on record.”
ABC News debate moderator Linsey Davis made a startling admission about her attempts to “fact-check” Donald Trump during his debate with Kamala Harris
Republicans were furious with ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for refusing to fact-check Kamala Harris over her lies about Donald Trump’s views on IVF.
He later admitted that they tried but failed to get candidates to go on record every time they claimed to have told a lie.
The anchor, who hosts a show on the ABC News streaming channel, admitted that social media makes her aware of how difficult it is for a black woman to cover the case of the first black woman to run as a major presidential candidate and remain impartial.
“There is a stereotype that I am very aware of that I cannot be impartial in covering this moment,” he told the Los Angeles Times‘And the anonymous people on Instagram serve as a daily reminder.’
Muir and Davis repeatedly attempted to fact-check Trump during the debate on topics including the Capitol riot and a claim about immigration crime.
However, Harris incorrectly claimed during the debate that Trump was against in vitro fertilization.
The former president said he has spoken out in favor of IVF when it has faced bans at the state level.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer wrote on social media: “ABC is making a huge mistake by trying to fact-check live. They are just proving how biased they are. Harris fabricated an attack on Trump over IVF. ABC sat back and said nothing.”
A Trump campaign account pointed out what the debate moderators did not: that Harris was not telling the truth.
Davis even anticipated Trump’s comments on abortion and IVF, saying that “it was an obvious thing that needed to be on record.”
The anchor, who hosts a show on the ABC News streaming channel, admitted that social media makes her aware of how difficult it is for a black woman to cover the case of the first black woman to run as a major presidential candidate and remain impartial.
“Kamala is LYING again. President Trump has said he wants to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have children, including supporting IVF in every state,” they wrote.
Linsey Davis claimed Trump was lying when he said states are allowing executions after birth.
Muir said Trump falsely claimed that immigrants were eating pets in the city of Springfield, Ohio.
Harris was not fact-checked by either during the debate.
Trump frustrated social conservatives by taking a more progressive line on IVF, or in vitro fertilization.
He said he would make the expensive procedure free for Americans.
The former president has further distanced himself from the issue by reportedly ordering the party to tone down its language on abortion at the Republican National Convention.
Earlier this spring, Trump told advisers he was leaning toward backing a nationwide ban on abortion at 16 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Muir and Davis repeatedly attempted to fact-check Trump during the debate on topics including the Capitol riot and a claim about migrant crime.
However, he reportedly changed his mind after reviewing some polls and began saying that abortion was something that should be decided at the state level.
In addition, the former president has repeatedly expressed his objection when states have taken overly harsh decisions on the issue of abortion.
She denounced Florida’s six-week pregnancy ban, calling it a “terrible mistake,” and added during an interview with NBC on Thursday that Florida women need more time to decide whether or not to have an abortion.
Trump signaled he could vote to end Florida’s ban on abortion at six weeks gestation when it is debated in a referendum later this year, as he continued his delicate dance around a key election issue.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, he teased an upcoming announcement on his voting stance by saying he did not think six weeks was enough time.
But he stopped short of committing to using the presidential veto if a nationwide federal ban reached his desk as president, even though his running mate said he would.
In office, Trump reveled in being the most pro-life president in history and took credit for ending federal abortion protections by installing conservative justices on the Supreme Court who overturned Roe v Wade.
This time, he’s trying to keep both sides happy on one of the election’s most divisive issues by saying it’s up to states to decide their own laws.
The former president has further distanced himself from the issue by reportedly ordering the party to tone down its language on abortion at the Republican National Convention.
This sparked outrage among some conservatives, including those at National Review, which published an article titled “Trump Stabs Florida Pro-Lifers in the Face.”
In an effort to fix the situation, Leavitt said the former president “simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short.”
Trump said he would vote no on the measure that would preserve Florida’s six-week ban.
As the final weeks of the presidential campaign unfold and Trump attempts to recoup some of the losses he has suffered since Harris replaced President Joe Biden, he will face the immense challenge of winning over new, more liberal voters while also appeasing his base.