Former President Donald Trump criticized ABC News in a new interview, suggesting the network should lose its broadcast license after his debate answers were subjected to real-time fact checks and several conservative commentators said he had a bad night.
Trump, who has been on a media tour since the debate, criticized the network, after saying beforehand that he believed he would be treated unfairly.
“I think ABC took a big hit last night,” Trump told the rival network in a morning phone appearance.
“To be honest, they are a news organisation, they have to be licensed to do this. They should have their licence taken away for the way they did it.”
Trump posted similar threats against other networks while in office.
The threat would be difficult to carry out. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues permits to individual broadcast stations for eight-year periods, but does not grant licenses to networks. Any such action by the independent would likely lead to lawsuits based on the First Amendment.
Former President Donald Trump said government regulators should “take away” ABC News’ broadcast license after complaining about its handling of Tuesday night’s debate, which he called “rigged.”
Trump called the debate a “rigged deal” and called the network “the most dishonest.”
While debating, Trump continued to praise CNN, his longtime rival.
“CNN was much more honorable,” he told rival network Fox. “The debate we had with Biden was much more honorable.”
Donald Trump has lashed out at ABC News’ real-time fact-checking of his debate responses, saying he was “less inclined” to participate in another one after giving a glowing review of his own performance.
“Well, I’d be less inclined to do that because we had a great night,” Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox & Friends.
Trump’s complaints come despite his campaign sending out a fundraising email with the subject line “I love ABC News” and quoting Trump as saying “My debate against Comrade Kamala last night was a total BLOW!”
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign had called for a second debate in October in the minutes after Tuesday’s prime-time showdown, creating the possibility of a high-stakes rerun and putting the onus on Trump to declare his intentions.
Trump complained about the network that hosted the event and the moderators, and even suggested without evidence that his rival saw the questions in advance.
“We won the debate. We had a terrible, terrible network,” he told Fox, again criticizing ABC for its real-time fact-checking of some of his statements.
“I think they were terrible. They should be ashamed. I mean, they corrected me over and over again and I said what I said was largely correct or I hope it was. But what they said was absolutely wrong.”
He said they “refused to correct” Harris’s misstatements. Moderators intervened after her own remarks on January 6, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and abortion.
“The other one, you know what she said. And they refused to correct it. I even complained a couple of times. Why don’t they correct them? Look, they should have corrected it six or seven times. She told a blatant lie. Another one is Project 2025. You know it has nothing to do with me,” Trump said.
He was referring to Harris’s ongoing attacks attempting to link him to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Numerous former Trump advisers worked on it, but his campaign has repeatedly said it has nothing to do with his political platform.
Trump called the debate rigged and suggested Harris’ team knew what they would ask her, in a comment that referenced the 2016 debate, when hacked emails revealed a lead to Hillary Clinton’s team.
“They had a rigged show with somebody who maybe had the answers. I mean, I’ll be honest, I watched her speak and I thought, you know, she seems to be very familiar with the questions,” Trump said.
Trump also suggested that the network’s broadcasting license should be revoked. “To be honest, they’re a news organization, they have to be licensed to do this. They should have their license taken away for the way they did it,” he said.
Trump mocked Fox News hosts Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum, hours after Baier said Trump “took the bait” from Kamala Harris during one of his most memorable attacks. Baier said Harris was “clearly well prepared” and “experienced” as well as “on offense.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to have Martha and Bret,” Trump said. “I’d love to have somebody other than Martha and Bret. I’d love to have, frankly, Sean or Jesse or Laura. You know, somebody else. Let’s give other people a chance.”
He was referring to Fox host Jesse Waters, who called the debate “difficult” and “pretty intense,” and Laura Ingraham, who said Trump “missed some opportunities,” as well as host Sean Hannity.
Harris wants another debate with Trump, her campaign said shortly after a televised showdown in which she angered Trump with an attack on crowds at his campaign rally and Trump tried to brand her a “Marxist.”
Trump was noncommittal after taking to the “press room” minutes after the contest, saying he would have to think about it.
“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris or moving backward with Trump,” Harris’ campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, wrote after the debate. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see in a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
Trump had called for three debates last month after President Biden backed off his campaign, having previously negotiated two debates with Biden. His surprise withdrawal from the race sparked a new round of talk about the ABC debate.
But when the candidate sat down with friendly interviewer Sean Hannity of Fox News in the press room after the debate, and did not commit to an additional debate with Harris.
Donald Trump harshly criticized ABC’s handling of the debate and lashed out at its moderators. He said he was “less inclined” to do another debate because he believes he won.
Heading to the spinning room was itself the kind of move candidates sometimes undertake to try to move on after a stage performance.
“I don’t know, I’ll have to think about it,” he said when Hannity told him Harris’ campaign wanted someone else.
“But if you win the debate, I think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate?” he said. He compared it to a boxer: “That’s what happens when you’re a professional boxer and you lose, you immediately want a new fight,” he said.
Trump admitted that “if it was a fair network” he would do it. He complained that it was “three against one,” referring to the times an ABC moderator intervened to fact-check Trump’s comments.
Trump gave himself a good evaluation, calling it his “best debate yet,” though he complained about the moderators.
At the end of the interview, Hannity pressed him again on whether he would do another debate, and Trump remained unwilling. “The reason you do a second debate is if you lose, and they lost… But I’ll think about it,” he said.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff said his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, won the debate.
Harris put her hand on her chin when Trump called her a “Marxist” during the debate
Trump went into the interview immediately after the debate, with plans to return to Fox on Wednesday morning.
Trump entered the race as the more experienced speaker, having participated in seven presidential debates and a series of primaries. Harris, by contrast, ended her campaign early in the 2020 primary process.
A CNN snap poll taken shortly after the debate showed Harris leading Trump 63 to 37 when viewers watching were asked who won.
One of the most memorable moments came when Harris criticized Trump for his campaign actions.
“People are starting to leave his rallies early, out of exhaustion and boredom,” Harris said. “The only thing you won’t hear him talk about is you.”
Trump demanded to answer even when moderator David Muir attempted to direct a question at him.
“People don’t go to her rallies. There’s no reason to go,” Trump responded. “She busses them in and pays them to be there and then shows them in a different light,” he said, referring to a debunked theory that Harris relied on artificial intelligence to generate an image of a packed rally.
Trump continued to insist that immigrants were eating people’s pets. “In Springfield (Ohio), they’re eating the dogs, the people that came here, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating… they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” which earned him a fact check from the moderator.
“Speaking of extremes…” Harris said, laughing, when asked for her response.