ABC News anchor David Muir is facing significant backlash after his conduct during the September 10th presidential debate, which may be contributing to a steep decline in viewership for his flagship program, *World News Tonight*. The fallout has been swift and concerning, as Muir’s audience dropped by nearly a million viewers in the days immediately following the debate.
According to reports from *The New York Post*, Muir’s *World News Tonight* averaged only 6.7 million viewers during the three-day period following the debate — a sharp decline of 12% from the show’s 2024 average of 7.6 million. Notably, this drop was steeper than those experienced by competing news programs such as CBS’s *Evening News* and NBC’s *Nightly News*, raising eyebrows and leading many to wonder if Muir’s handling of the debate played a role in the exodus.
The debate, which saw Muir and his co-moderator Linsey Davis aggressively fact-checking former President Donald Trump while offering far less scrutiny to Vice President Kamala Harris, has sparked outrage from conservatives and even some moderates. Critics across the political spectrum questioned the fairness of the moderators, with many accusing them of showing blatant bias in favor of Harris.
Trump himself didn’t mince words, calling out Muir’s biased moderation. “Every one of them should have been questioned by David Muir, who I’ve lost a lot of respect for. Everyone’s lost respect for him,” Trump said after the debate. “It was so one-sided.”
The drop in Muir’s ratings could be a reflection of growing frustration among viewers who are tired of biased reporting and clear media favoritism. In an era where media credibility is already at an all-time low, many viewers expect fairness and balance — especially in something as critical as a presidential debate. Muir’s perceived failure to meet that standard could be costing him and ABC News dearly.
Attempting to defend his performance, Muir made an appearance on *Live with Kelly and Mark*, where he brushed off concerns, calling the post-debate criticism “just noise.” He claimed that he and Davis asked questions that Americans cared about, but this defense rang hollow for many who felt the moderators failed to hold Harris to the same level of scrutiny as Trump.
Despite Muir’s attempts to downplay the backlash, social media has been abuzz with criticism. One viewer on X (formerly Twitter) vented, “I usually watch *Kelly and Mark* because they don’t talk about politics on their show, BUT Monday David Muir was on! He started preaching about toning down political rhetoric! I turned him off and did not watch the rest of the show! Fake Sanctimonious David Muir!!”
Adding fuel to the fire, Trump rejected calls for a second debate, quipping on Truth Social, “When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, ‘I WANT A REMATCH.’ Polls clearly show that I won the Debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ Radical Left Candidate.”
The ratings drop for *World News Tonight* might signal more than just a temporary blip. It could be a warning to the mainstream media that Americans are growing increasingly weary of biased reporting and one-sided narratives. Viewers want balance, not lectures. For Muir and ABC News, the path forward may require rethinking their approach if they hope to regain the trust and viewership they’ve lost.
