Trump: 'I should sue' ABC debate moderator for fact-checking but 'I’m too busy winning'

27 September 2024

Former President Donald Trump is now denying a report that he's contemplating a lawsuit against ABC News anchor David Muir over his moderation of the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Earlier on Friday, Mediaite delved into Puck News' report on how the former president was still ruminating over how he was treated during the debate earlier this month. According to Puck journalist Tara Palmeri – who cited "two sources with direct knowledge" — Trump was considering filing a lawsuit against Muir "for publicity." The former president was also reportedly still angry with Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Brit Hume for saying Harris won the debate.

However, Trump is now disputing that report in a lengthy post to his Truth Social account. On Friday night, the 45th president of the United States suggested that while he has a right to take the journalist to court, doing so would be a waste of time,

"Fake News sources at Mediaite, whatever that is, report that it is my intention to sue Lightweight Anchor David Muir of ABC for his constant and unagreed to interruptions during the Debate," Trump wrote, before falsely asserting that polls showed him to be the winner (more than two-thirds of respondents told the New York Times/Siena College poll that Harris did well in the debate while only 40% said the same of Trump).

"The report in Mediaite is FAKE NEWS, reposting someone named Tara Palmeri, who I don’t know, but I understand is very close to, and writes for, a competitor," the former president added. "I am not suing David Muir! I should sue him, but there is not enough time - I’m too busy winning the Election."

During the debate, both moderators Muir and Linsey Davis didn't allow Trump to lie on the air without fact-checking him. Three notable occasions were Muir correcting the former president when he baselessly claimed that Haitian refugees in Springfield, Ohio were eating pets, Davis correcting Trump's false claim that babies were being executed after they were born and both pushing back on his insistence that he didn't lose the 2020 election. The former president suggested after the debate that if he were president he would revoke ABC's broadcast license.

Trump has said repeatedly that he wouldn't participate in another debate with Harris. Fox News reported earlier this week that even though Harris has agreed to a debate on the conservative network, Trump is the lone "holdup." But Puck reported that depending on how his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), performs in his Tuesday night debate with Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz, the ex-president may still do one more debate with his Democratic opponent.

"Numerous Republican allies have been pushing for a do-over, especially after Harris accepted a CNN invite for an October face-off. And Trump appears to be doubting his initial instinct to walk away from the battlefield," Palmeri wrote. She also quoted an unnamed Trump advisor who said: “If it’s so boring, or if J.D. loses, Trump may want to have another lick."

Tuesday night's vice presidential debate will be hosted by CBS. The network stated it will not mute candidates' microphones when the other is speaking, which is a stark change from both the ABC debate with Harris and the CNN debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. However, it will also resemble the other two debates by continuing to not have a live audience present.

Click here to read Mediaite's report in full, and click here to read Palmeri's report in Puck News (subscription required).

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