The first presidential debate of 2024 has triggered a storm of criticism from liberals, who are directing their anger at CNN over President Joe Biden’s clear loss to President Donald Trump. The left argues that CNN’s failure to challenge Trump’s statements allowed him to dominate the debate, further damaging Biden’s campaign.
Political commentator Keith Olbermann led the criticism, accusing CNN of failing in its journalistic duties. “CNN’s decision to abrogate its journalistic responsibilities by not fact-checking Trump’s firehose of lies is unforgivable,” he tweeted. Olbermann even suggested drastic measures, proposing that CNN “go off the air in shame, fire everybody, seal off the buildings, make sure everybody’s out, and burn the g****mned place to the ground!”
Actress Ellen Barkin also slammed CNN, claiming the network skewed the debate in Trump’s favor by focusing on Hunter Biden instead of Trump’s legal issues. “That was terrifying. That @CNN, a supposed centrist mainstream network, would decide to fix the deck in favor of Trump scares me,” she tweeted.
Other voices joined in the critique. Florida activist Rebekah Jones condemned the network’s lack of fact-checking as “f***ing shameful,” while liberal pundit Art Candee specifically blamed CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash for not holding Trump accountable.
Human rights lawyer Qasim Rashid called the debate moderation “journalistic malpractice,” arguing that it harmed democracy by allowing Trump to spread misinformation unchecked. Democratic social media influencer Majid Padellan questioned the moderators’ effectiveness, suggesting the debate lacked purpose without fact-checking Trump’s statements.
Former congressional candidate Christopher Hale criticized CNN for letting Trump deliver a “fact-free infomercial” without addressing his legal troubles. Attorney Olayemi Olurin noted that while CNN failed to challenge Trump, Biden’s underwhelming performance was also at fault. “If Joe Biden were performing the way he’s supposed to in a debate, his answers would be the fact-check,” she wrote.
The debate has left many Democrats worried, with some calling for Biden to step down or be replaced. However, some liberal pundits maintain that despite the debate’s impact, voters may still prefer Biden over Trump due to their aversion to the latter.
The intense reaction highlights the high stakes of the upcoming election and the growing frustration among Democrats with both the media and their own candidate’s performance. As the debate fallout continues, the focus remains on how these dynamics will shape the rest of the campaign.
