The first 2020 presidential debate was a "total mess," primarily because of President Trump, moderator Chris Wallace says.
Wallace spoke on Fox News on Thursday two days after moderating the first 2020 debate between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, which was widely considered a trainwreck and frequently went off the rails as Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden and Wallace when it wasn't his turn to speak.
"The president was determined to try to butt in and throw Joe Biden off," Wallace said. "He bears the primary responsibility for what happened on Tuesday."
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Wallace noted that Biden did some interrupting, as well, but "less than half" as much as Trump. By about 45 minutes into the debate, Wallace said he realized what "a total mess and disservice this was to the country," and he lamented that the more orderly discussion of the issues he had extensively prepared for didn't take place.
"I had baked this beautiful, delicious cake, and then frankly, the president put his foot in it," Wallace said. "And that was frustrating."
The organizers of the 2020 presidential debates on Wednesday announced they'd be considering changes as a result of Tuesday's chaos, and one that has been suggested is the ability for moderators to mute the candidate's microphones. Wallace, though, told Fox this would put moderators in a "tough spot" and might not help much, since if Trump's microphone had been cut on Tuesday, "the president still would have been disrupting and distracting Biden." Brendan Morrow
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