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Trump-Harris ABC debate: What to know about moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis

By and 09/09/2024 | updated 1 year ago

ABC News’s David Muir and Linsey Davis have been selected as moderators of the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris has refrained from commenting on ABC hosting the debate, but Trump has repeatedly called the network “fake news” and accused the co-chairwoman of Disney Entertainment, Dana Walden, of being Harris’s “best friend.” Disney is ABC’s parent company.

The former president is also currently in the middle of a defamation lawsuit against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos over the host having said a jury concluded Trump had “raped” E. Jean Carroll.

Trump, however, does not appear to hold negative feelings toward Muir and Davis.

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While Davis holds a lower profile, Muir has previously sat down several times with Trump for interviews. One ABC News staffer claimed they heard Trump describe Muir as “handsome,” according to DailyBeast reporting.

Here is everything you need to know about Muir and Davis before tomorrow’s debate:

David Muir

Muir, 50, has been with ABC News since 2003. He has anchored ABC World News Tonight since 2014, which is the most-watched network newscast in the United States.

He is no stranger to Trump. Muir was the first person to interview Trump after he became president. He would also sit down with Trump again in May 2020 to discuss his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He’s traveled abroad in his career, reporting from Egypt during the 2011 revolt and the Israel-Lebanon border in 2006 during Israel’s war with Hezbollah. He was also the first American to interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Muir is no stranger to Harris, either. During the 2020 election cycle, he conducted the first joint interview with President Joe Biden, then the vice president, and Harris, then a senator. 

Muir is not listed as having a party affiliation. He has moderated several Democratic and Republican presidential primary debates.

Linsey Davis

Davis is also experienced in covering presidential primary debates and elections, having moderated ABC News’s Democratic presidential debates in September 2019 and February 2020. She also covered both major parties’ conventions in 2020.

Davis currently anchors ABC News Live Prime and Sundays’ World News Tonight. She also is a correspondent for Good Morning America and other ABC shows.

As a black woman, Davis has taken a special interest in reporting on race matters, having held the first roundtable discussion with black female mayors of Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and other cities.

She is also the author of several children’s books.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

After President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Trump flip-flopped on whether or not he’d debate Harris on ABC. Harris herself did not agree to the rules of the debate, including the use of muted microphones, until this week.

But the showdown has been set, and Muir and Davis will play a big role in ensuring voters hear answers to their questions Tuesday.

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