Former US president, Donald Trump has alleged that ABC News will help Vice President Kamala Harris cheat ahead of their upcoming presidential election debate.
Trump was speaking during a town hall on Fox News on Wednesday, September 4, when he alleged that the Disney-owned television network would provide Harris with questions for the debate ahead of their debate.
‘They’re going to get the questions, I’ve already heard they’re going to get the questions in advance,’ Trump told Fox host Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. ‘I’m not sure it’s gonna help her that much.’
Trump and Harris are set for their first debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 10 with ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Trump said he only agreed to the debate at the ‘unfair’ network because the vice president wouldn’t agree to do debates with any other network..
Fox News proposed a debate on Wednesday evening in Harrisburg and While Trump’s team accepted, Harris declined the invite.
‘They’re very nasty, and I think a lot of people are going to be watching to see how nasty they are, how unfair they are,’ Trump said of ABC News. ‘I agreed to do it because they wouldn’t do any other networks.’
‘The other thing is, her best friend is the head of the network,’ Trump said, referencing Harris’ close friendship with Disney executive Dana Walden. ‘Her husband’s best friend is married to the head of the network.’
Disney executive Dana Walden (right) has been close with Harris since 1994 and her husband Matt Walden (left) has known US Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff since the 1980s. The couple are credited with Kamala’s marriage after they introduced Harris and Emhoff at a blind date.
Trump also said that ABC News intentionally provides poll results that show him at a disadvantage because they think it will make voters not cast their ballots if they think their preferred candidate is too far behind to win.
‘ABC is the worst network in terms of fairness,’ Trump lamented.
‘They had a poll where I was 17 points down a couple of days prior to the election – I was 17 points down in Wisconsin. And they do that so people don’t vote because people say, you know, ‘hey, I love Trump, but he’s 17 points down. I’m not going to go out and vote.’
‘They are the most dishonest network – the meanest, the nastiest, but that was what I was presented with,’ he continued. ‘I was presented with ABC.’
Trump said there is a ‘clause in the contract’ that says ABC News cannot provide the questions or debate prompts to either candidate before the event next week.
While the former president still thinks Harris will cheat to get her hands on the questions, he isn’t convinced it will give her an advantage.
Trump says that besides just removing microphone muting, “Harris also wanted to sit down at desks and be allowed to bring pre-written notes to their faceoff.” But Harris did not get any of her demands met.
According to the ABC news debate rules, Microphones will be muted when candidates are not speaking, they will be standing behind podiums and no prepared notes or props are permitted on stage. They will be given a piece of paper, pen and a bottle of water.