The presidential election debate Tuesday night was billed as Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden, but not long into the 90-minute event the president acknowledged a second opponent, moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News.
Wallace repeatedly asked Trump to stop interrupting while the president argued Biden also was interrupting.
“Frankly, you’ve been doing more interrupting,” Wallace said.
When Wallace criticized one of Trump answers regarding Obamacare, Trump told him, “I guess I’m debating you, not him.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2020
On Twitter on Wednesday, Trump criticized Wallace.
“Chris had a tough night. Two on one was not surprising, but fun,” the president wrote. “Many important points made, like throwing Bernie, AOC PLUS 3, and the rest, to the wolves! Radical Left is dumping Sleepy Joe. Zero Democrat enthusiasm, WEAK Leadership!”
In fact, Wallace had no input when Biden called Trump a “clown” and told him to “shut up, man.”
Trump retweeted several comments about Wallace, including: “If you still can’t figure out why the American public doesn’t trust the media … just rewatch Chris Wallace’s performance tonight.”
The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra tweeted, “Chris Wallace had the opportunity tonight to get more information to the American voter on Biden and he failed.”
Another Twitter user wrote, “Chris Wallace owes @realDonaldTrump and the American People an apology after the way he conducted himself tonight!”
Another said, “Chris Wallace personified why the American public at large distrust the media.”
Saavedra noted in a Daily Wire piece that Wallace is a registered Democrat and was facing “backlash” for “what was widely deemed as bias.”
“One of the issues that Wallace was called out for the most was how he appeared to let Biden interrupt Trump but would jump in to interrupt Trump when Trump would talk over Biden,” he wrote.
Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade tweeted: “Why is @JoeBiden allowed to interrupt? A@realDonaldTrump is not.”
Fox News host Laura Ingraham agreed: “Biden seems to interrupt with impunity.”
Former federal prosecutor and Fox News analyst Andy McCarthy wrote, “Chris Wallace jumps in a second time when Biden having trouble with Trump’s questioning.”
Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly tweeted, “Good line from Trump—he tells Chris Wallace he’s debating him, not Joe.”
Actor James Woods wrote on Twitter: “Chris Wallace is shamelessly biased. It’s a beautiful demonstration of fake news in action. I’m actually glad it’s happening, because you can see it for yourself.”
The Federalist’s Sean Davis tweeted: “Chris Wallace is making very clear that his goal tonight is to run interference for Joe Biden. If he wants to be a deranged NeverTrumper, that’s his prerogative, but Wallace is doing everything in his power to tilt the election toward his preferred candidate. Everyone can see it.”
Commentator Ben Shapiro said Wallace simply “moved from moderator to debater.”
Mark Hemingway, a senior writer at Real Clear Investigations, pointed out Wallace’s redefinition of “critical race theory,” which the president banned from being taught to government employees, as “racial sensitivity training.”
That, Hemingway said, totally ignores what’s being taught.
“It is racist and anti-American.”
