Trump Discusses Debate During Interview With Gutfeld
Former President Donald Trump had a few choice words about his recent debate performance against Vice President Kamala Harris, expressing some regret about how he handled the ABC moderators during the event. Speaking on Fox News’s “Gutfeld!” Wednesday night, Trump reflected on his approach to the debate, noting that while he initially aimed to be "elegant," he now wishes he had gone after the moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, who he felt were biased against him.
Trump’s frustration boiled over as he recounted how he was fact-checked repeatedly during the debate, while Harris seemed to get a free pass. In particular, he pointed to moments when Muir fact-checked him on crime rates, pushing back on his claims by citing FBI statistics.
Trump, however, stood by his statements, saying that a Department of Justice report released shortly after the debate actually supported his assertions that violent crime had increased under the Biden-Harris administration. This, according to Trump, proved his point and showed that the moderators were wrong to challenge him on the issue.
“I walked off that stage and thought I had the best debate,” Trump said, before lamenting how unfairly he believed he was treated. “I’m not fans of those guys anymore,” he quipped, even throwing in a light jab at Muir, saying, “his hair was better five years ago.”
But it wasn’t just about crime rates. Trump also highlighted the way the moderators allowed Harris to repeat what he called the “Left-wing lie” about his comments on Charlottesville, without offering any pushback. Trump has long argued that his remarks were misrepresented, insisting that he never praised white supremacists during the infamous 2017 rally. Yet, during the debate, Harris invoked the debunked narrative, and according to Trump, the moderators didn’t bother to fact-check her on it once.
The uneven treatment didn't go unnoticed by conservatives. Many criticized the ABC News moderators during and after the debate, arguing that the constant corrections against Trump and the lack of scrutiny on Harris created an impossible situation for the former president.
Trump, too, echoed this sentiment, saying that even though he believed he performed well, the legacy media was determined to undermine him. “No matter how well I debated, the legacy media would claim that Trump ‘was nothing special,’” he remarked, adding that Harris’s performance was ultimately “word salad.”
One of Trump’s biggest takeaways from the night was his frustration with the fact-checking dynamic. He felt that the moderators were quick to correct him, even when he was “totally right,” while giving Harris a pass on key issues. “They didn’t correct her once, and they corrected me [on] everything I said practically — I think nine times or 11 times,” Trump said, reflecting on the imbalance.
What stands out most, though, is Trump’s reflection on his own strategy. He admitted that his desire to come across as "elegant" may have been a mistake. “I think my only regret is that I wanted to be elegant, and I didn’t want to go after the anchors. I wish I did, in a way,” Trump confessed, suggesting that perhaps being more combative with the moderators could have served him better.
Trump's criticism of the media is nothing new—he’s long accused the mainstream press of being biased against him. But his remarks on “Gutfeld!” show that even with his experience in the political arena, there are moments where he rethinks his approach. While he initially sought to be more measured in the debate, it's clear that, in hindsight, he wishes he had gone with his instincts to push back harder against what he views as unfair treatment.