Trump speaks out about debunked story
Former President Trump repeatedly called the Charlottesville incident a “mistake” during the ABC News presidential debate. (Courtesy of ABC News)
Former President Donald Trump's key allies are rushing to declare victory after Tuesday night's debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Republican lawmakers have touted Trump's victory even as they accused ABC News hosts David Muir and Lindsey Davis of acting with bias against the former president over how they ran the debate.
“President Trump delivered a strong America First message directly to the American people, focused on lowering inflation, strengthening our economy, securing our border, and promoting peace through a strong foreign policy,” Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference, said in a statement at the end of the debate.
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House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and Sen. J.D. Vance (right) were two of the Republicans who declared former President Donald Trump the winner. (Getty Images)
“The hosts at ABC are not journalists, they are pro-Kamala activists who baselessly attacked President Trump, hosted a 3-on-1 debate, and allowed Kamala to lie over and over again. President Trump won in a landslide victory and will win again on Election Day.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said Trump had “exposed” Harris as an “extremist” despite her sometimes-attempts to reflect more moderate positions on gun ownership and the border.
“Despite Harris lying about her extreme positions and what she would supposedly do as president, and despite biased hosts shamelessly defending her, the American people were reminded in primetime of two major issues: Harris is a lifelong Marxist, and she is a sitting Vice President who will secure our borders and cut costs today,” Johnson said.
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(Screenshot: Fox News simulcast of the ABC News presidential debate)
Similarly, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Trump's running mate, told Fox News host Sean Hannity that “the host didn't do his job, but President Trump did.”
Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) wrote on X: “President Trump tonight shared his strong vision for reversing the Biden-Harris Administration's high prices and open borders. He American Energy And we want to get our country back on track.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Trump's former White House physician, said the former president “totally trashed Kamala Harris on national television and exposed the harm her administration has caused.”
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One Republican said Vice President Kamala Harris was “successfully provoking” former President Donald Trump. (Stephen Hirsch Pool/Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-Lausanne) told X at the end of the debate, “Joe Biden set the bar low enough that she could bunny hop over it, and somehow she managed to get under it.”
But not all Republicans agreed with Trump's apparent victory, and one Republican, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital that Harris seemed to be getting on Trump's nerves.
“She talks to us like we're little kids, but she's doing a great job of provoking Trump,” the Republican said during the debate. “He's got the policy right, but he can't get the message right.”
