Days after the first presidential debate between former US president Donald Trump and Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, the Republican presidential candidate strongly criticised ABC News for allegedly breaching an agreement with his campaign during the debate. The 78-year-old accused the network of unfairly fact-checking his statements while allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to remain unchallenged.

At a campaign event in New York City on Thursday, Trump specifically targeted ABC moderators, particularly David Muir, for disputing his claims regarding rising crime rates in the US Trump contended that the correction was both incorrect and biased, asserting, "When I said crime is way up, he corrected me... but he didn’t correct Kamala Harris even once," as reported by Fox News.

“And during the debate, I pointed that out, and David Muir is a real lightweight," Trump stated. 

Trump claimed that during the debate, he faced three opponents and believed he performed well. He criticised David Muir from ABC for repeatedly correcting him about rising crime rates, despite his statements being accurate, while Muir did not challenge Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he accused of making numerous incorrect statements, including regarding Charlottesville.

"I was up against three people, but I think we did great. However, David Muir from ABC, fake news, when I said that crime is significantly increasing in our country, he corrected me repeatedly, even though I was right. He didn’t correct Vice President Kamala Harris once, and what she said was completely wrong. She was mistaken about so many things—Charlottesville, for example—almost everything she said went unchallenged.

‘I Was Treated Very Unfairly’

The debate, which took place on September 10 and was organised by ABC News, featured Trump and Harris competing against each other, with US media outlets declaring Harris the winner. However, Trump voiced his dissatisfaction with the moderation, claiming he was subjected to biased treatment. "It was me against three," Trump commented, referring to Muir, co-moderator Linsey Davis, and Harris.

"I was treated very unfairly by the anchor. I'm not a fan of those guys anymore—and his hair looked better five years ago," Trump joked, referring to Muir, and added, "That’s what happens with time."

Trump continued by claiming that ABC News violated the "agreement" they made prior to the debate.