Chris Wallace Accuses Donald Trump Of Not Giving The American People The Debate They Deserved
Tuesday's debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee was moderated by the Fox News Sunday talk show host Chris Wallace, who is now accusing the president of turning what should have been a political showdown into chaos. The president refused to answer the moderator's questions during the debate, claiming it looked like he was debating the moderator rather than the former vice president.
During an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Wallace had denied blaming Trump, but in an interview on Thursday, he went on to tell his colleague Bill that he believes the president "bears the primary responsibility for what happened." Comparing the debate to a "beautiful, delicious cake," Wallace said Trump put his foot in it.
He went on to say that the debate didn't turn out to be how he wanted, despite putting in a lot of effort into preparing for a serious debate. Wallace said the American people were also deprived of the debate they wanted and that they deserved.
Regretting that he did not step in more seriously sooner, Wallace called the missed opportunity a loss for the country. When Hemmer asked him if he watched the debate again, Wallace said it wasn't something he wants to revisit.
Wallace explained that it took him four years to rewatch the debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton that took place in 2016, adding that he enjoyed it. He said he will not be able to rewatch the recent debate for quite some time.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced it will bring in a changed to format to ensure a more orderly discussion after Tuesday's chaotic first debate, CNN reported. A person close to the commission told CNN on Thursday that the organization did not rule out anything.
When asked if the commission will allow the moderator to cut off a candidate's microphone, the person said it is considering everything, but Wallace did not seem convinced about that idea calling it a pretty tough spot for any moderator to be in. Shortly after the debate started Tuesday night, Wallace lost control and failed to regain order.
Aside from interrupting Biden, the president refused to obey the rules of the forum. Trump told Wallace that he felt he was debating him, not Biden, adding "but that's OK. I'm not surprised." At one point, he pleaded with Trump to obey the rules and avoid interrupting Biden, but the attempt wasn't successful and the debate ended just like it started: in chaos.