In a post-debate outburst, former President Donald Trump leveled accusations against ABC News and moderator David Muir for what he described as biased and unfair treatment during a recent presidential debate.

Trump claims that ABC News and Muir breached a pre-debate agreement by fact-checking his statements live, contrasting his treatment with that of Vice President Kamala Harris, who went unchallenged, as Fox News reports.

The debate, which featured both Trump and Harris, quickly became contentious when Trump was corrected by Muir on his claims about rising crime rates.

This marked the beginning of several live corrections aimed at Trump, with a total of five fact-checks during the event.

Trump Expresses Frustration Over Fact-Checks

According to Trump, he and ABC News had an understanding that no live fact-checks would occur during the debate. He argued that this agreement was blatantly ignored, criticizing Muir's approach to moderating.

"Now you don't know this, but we had a deal with ABC that there will be no corrections of any kind, and they violated the deal," Trump asserted during a speech from Trump Tower.

Co-moderator Linsey Davis also participated in fact-checking Trump, beginning what the former president described as a series of biased actions against him. Trump's dissatisfaction extended to Davis as well, whom he disparaged in his post-debate comments.

Details on Moderators and Alleged Bias

During his critique, Trump specifically called out Muir, labeling him a "lightweight" and accusing him of losing credibility.

"David Muir of ABC, fake news, when I said that crime is way up in our country, he corrected me, he corrected me and so much and it was right what I said. He didn't correct [Vice President Kamala Harris] one time, and what she said was wrong, absolutely wrong," Trump recounted.

The debate moderators' decisions to fact-check Trump but not Harris was a focal point of Trump's criticism. He highlighted discrepancies in the treatment of factual inaccuracies, pointing out that his statements on various issues like Charlottesville were corrected, while Harris's were not.

Trump Reflects on Debate Conduct

Reflecting on his demeanor during the debate, Trump expressed regret for not being more confrontational with the moderators. "I think my only regret is that I wanted to be elegant, and I didn't want to go after the anchors. I wish I did, in a way," he shared during a follow-up interview.

Trump also commented on the physical appearance of Muir, remarking on changes he observed. "I was very unfairly treated by the anchor. I'm not fans of those guys anymore – and his hair was better five years ago," he quipped.

Future Debate Participation Uncertain

Following the contentious ABC News debate, Trump has indicated hesitation about participating in future debates. He specifically rejected a proposed CNN debate on Oct. 23, arguing that it was too close to the election and therefore not appropriate.

Conversely, Harris has turned down debates proposed by Fox News and NBC News, both of which Trump had agreed to prior to the ABC News engagement.

This has added another layer of complexity to the pre-election environment, as candidates navigate the fraught landscape of media and public engagements.

In his concluding remarks, Trump reiterated his broader criticisms of the media, linking them to his campaign's narrative of fighting against what he terms "fake news."

"But we have a country to save, and we can't have fake news like that. And his ratings deserve to go down," he concluded.