ABC debate moderators live fact-checked Trump�s false claims from the
stage

ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked Donald
Trump during Tuesday night�s presidential debate, quickly correcting the
record for millions watching at home after the Republican pushed
falsehoods on abortion, migrants and the 2020 election.

The decision to live fact-check the candidates during the high-stakes
telecast marked a departure from recent debates and stood in contrast to
the first presidential matchup of the 2024 season, hosted by CNN and
moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. During the June debate,
the moderators did not correct false claims made by Trump and President
Joe Biden. Instead, the network provided a fact check online and on
television following the telecast.

Ahead of Tuesday night�s debate in Philadelphia, ABC News did not commit
to live fact-checking, but as the event got underway both anchors stepped
in to debunk false claims made by Trump on at least three occasions.
ABC News signage is installed in the media file center inside the
Pennsylvania Convention Center ahead of the Sep. 10 presidential debate
in Philadelphia.

Related article ABC News steps into the spotlight with high stakes Trump-
Harris debate

Roughly 20 minutes into the debate, the former president claimed
Democrats have advocated for abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy or
were in favor of �executing� babies �after birth,� pushing a notorious
and often-repeated false claim. Harris� running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, has
said �execution after birth is OK,� Trump falsely claimed.

Moderator Linsey Davis immediately corrected the record on the abortion
issue. �There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a
baby after it�s born,� she said.

Later in the debate, Trump falsely claimed migrants in Ohio were killing
pets and eating them, repeating a debunked claim that had been amplified
this week by right-wing media figures and echoed by Republican leaders.

�In Springfield, they�re eating the dogs,� Trump said. �The people that
came in, they�re eating the cats. They�re eating the pets of the people
that live there. And this is what�s happening in our country and it�s a
shame.�

Muir quickly corrected Trump on the claim.

�I just want to clarify here. You bring up Springfield, Ohio. ABC News
did reach out to the city manager there. He told us there have been no
credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or
abused by individuals within the immigrant community.�

�Well, I�ve seen people on television,� Trump argued. �The people on
television say my dog was taken and used for food. So maybe he said that
and maybe that�s a good thing to say for a city manager.�

�I�m not taking this from television. I�m taking this from the city
manager,� Muir responded.

�People are on television saying the dog was eaten by the people that
went there,� Trump said.

�Again, the Springfield city manager says there�s no evidence of that,�
Muir replied.

ABC�s moderators also took subtle approaches to establish the truth.
Later in the debate, Muir asked Trump about a recent comment in which he
appeared to acknowledge that he had lost the 2020 presidential election
to Biden by a �whisker.�
Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former President Donald Trump
shake hands during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania
Convention Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 10.

Related article CNN Flash Poll: Majority of debate watchers say Harris
outperformed Trump onstage

�Are you now acknowledging that you lost in 2020?� Muir asked.

�That was said sarcastically,� he said. �I don�t acknowledge that at
all.�

Muir then turned to Harris, saying �you heard the president there
tonight. He said he didn�t say that that he lost by a �whisker.� So, he
still believes he did not lose the election that was won by President
Biden and yourself.�

Following the debate, CNN�s Daniel Dale reported Trump made at least 33
false claims during the debate, compared with one from Harris.

�This was a staggeringly dishonest debate performance from Trump. Just
lie after lie on subject after subject,� Dale said.

During past debates, moderators have struggled to find a balance between
fact-checking and how much to intervene to get candidates to respond or
stay on track with their answers. In 2012, CNN anchor Candy Crowley drew
heat from conservatives when she fact checked Mitt Romney during a debate
with former President Barack Obama.
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video

Related video �Odious�: Daniel Dale fact-checks Trump claim about Haitian
immigrants

By 2020, the two general election moderators, Chris Wallace, then with
Fox News, and NBC�s Kristen Welker, mostly stayed out of the way of fact-
checking.

CNN political director David Chalian told The Washington Post ahead of
the network�s debate in June that the stage �is not the ideal venue for a
live fact-checking exercise.� The moderators� role, he said, was �to
plainly facilitate and moderate a debate � not to be a participant.�

ABC�s decision to live fact-check Trump from the stage drew the ire of
his allies and those in right-wing media, who claimed the moderators were
ignoring Harris� inaccuracies.

�Weird how the hack moderators at @abcnews are only �Fact checking� Trump
and allowing Kamala to lie nonstop. The Fake News is the enemy of the
people!� Trump�s son, Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X.

�MORE FACT CHECKING FROM ABC - THIS IS THE WORST ANCHOR PILE-ON I HAVE
EVER SEEN. 3 against 1,� Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News and NBC host
turned conservative podcaster, wrote on X.