In the aftermath of the chaotic presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, hosted by ABC News on September 10, conservative voices are speaking out against what they view as blatant bias from the moderators. Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld didn’t hold back, labeling the debate a “DEI debate” — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — criticizing the one-sided “fact-checking” and the moderators’ apparent favoritism toward Harris.
The debate, moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, sparked widespread outrage among conservatives and even some moderates. Critics argue that Muir and Davis selectively fact-checked Trump, challenging even his accurate statements, while giving Kamala Harris a free pass on her own missteps. This left many questioning the integrity of the debate.
On Fox News’ *The Five*, Gutfeld was quick to point out the real losers of the evening — the American people. “I don’t know who won, but I know who lost. It was the American people,” Gutfeld said. “You could say if you complain about the refs, you’re losing. Well, if the refs are corrupt, you’ve got a complaint because everybody lost. I felt like my brain was being waterboarded by the sheer nonsense of these idiot moderators.”
In his characteristic blunt style, Gutfeld likened the debate to a “sham competition,” comparing it to evaluating the worth of a forged painting. “You can’t objectively decide a winner in a sham competition,” he said, emphasizing the futility of judging a debate where one side is unfairly favored. According to Gutfeld, the event should be remembered as the “first DEI debate” because one candidate — Trump — was subjected to intense scrutiny while Harris faced virtually none.
“This is truly the first DEI debate where one candidate was subjected to a high standard and the other was held to no standards at all,” Gutfeld quipped, hammering home his belief that the moderators tilted the playing field heavily in Kamala Harris’ favor. “They removed the essence of fairness to achieve an outcome that could not be scored. You cannot score that. A liberal should be ashamed that your candidate needed the odds to be stacked so heavily in their favor.”
But Gutfeld wasn’t the only conservative outraged by the debate’s apparent bias. Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly expressed her disgust as well, calling the moderators’ performance “shameful.” On her show, Kelly didn’t mince words, accusing ABC News of being in the tank for Harris. “The person who runs ABC News is a close personal friend of Kamala Harris, and they did Dana Walden’s bidding tonight. It was three against one on that debate stage this evening.”
Kelly continued, echoing Gutfeld’s sentiment about the unfair nature of the debate. “It’s very easy to look like you know what you’re doing when both moderators are entirely on your side. Trump did the best he could under the circumstances, but it really was like three fighters in the ring pummeling one opponent.”
The conservative critique of the debate reflects a larger frustration with what many on the right see as systemic media bias. The moderators’ refusal to challenge Kamala Harris, coupled with their frequent interruptions and corrections of Trump, has left conservatives with little faith in the mainstream media’s ability to fairly moderate political events.
Gutfeld’s biting remarks and Kelly’s condemnation serve as a rallying cry for those who believe that media institutions are increasingly working to undermine conservatives and elevate progressive candidates like Harris. As the 2024 election season heats up, expect more pushback from the right against media figures who are seen as willing participants in what Gutfeld described as a “sham competition.”
