Fox News reporter puts MSNBC hosts in their place for mocking voters worried about border crisis: 'Laugh ... at your own risk'



Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin schooled three MSNBC hosts on Wednesday for mocking voters who are concerned about immigration and the border crisis.

Exit polls conducted on Super Tuesday showed that immigration is the top concern for Republican voters in Virginia. In fact, it is a top issue for voters nationwide, even surpassing the economy in some exit polls. This is not breaking news unless you live under a rock because the border crisis has been a national story for years. But that didn't stop MSNBC hosts Jen Psaki, Rachel Maddow, and Joy Reid from ridiculing these voters over their concerns.

During MSNBC's election-night coverage, Psaki read the exit poll data, Reid laughed, and Maddow outright mocked the voters.

"If you look at some of these exit polls — I mean, I live in Virginia — immigration was the number one issue," Psaki said to Reid's laughter.

"Well, Virginia does have a border with West Virginia. Very contested area," Maddow mocked.

"But you're thinking like: WHAT?!" Psaki added.


— (@)

At first, Melugin responded to the trio of MSNBC hosts by pointing to the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant who is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Virginia.

"Two weeks ago, in Virginia, an illegal alien from Venezuela was arrested & charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Campbell County, VA. He had crossed illegally into El Paso, TX, in September 2023 and was released into the U.S. by the federal government," he wrote on social media.

Then Melugin explained on "Fox and Friends" why the MSNBC hosts' reaction demonstrates how out of touch they are with normal Americans.

"Talk about out of touch— listening to them giggle and laugh and joke," Melugin said.

"We've been down there the last three years, and we've watched as this issue has taken over the entire country. It's no longer just Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico — look what's happened to the sanctuary cities," he explained. "Look what's happened ever since Gov. [Greg] Abbott started busing [migrants] around the country. Ask Laken Riley's parents if the border and immigration is something to giggle about. It just shows a massive, massive out-of-touch moment."

After noting that exit polls prove immigration is a top issue, Melugin issued a warning to the naysayers.

"Laugh at it at your own risk. The voters will have their say in November," he said.

MSNBC's @jrpsaki @Maddow laugh at and mock Virginia voters for caring about border crisis, where just a few weeks ago an illegal alien released by Biden administration was arrested for raping a 14-year-old girl. @BillMelugin_ @kilmeade @SteveDoocy @ainsleyearhardt react: pic.twitter.com/YdrLhIFIVG
— johnny dollar (@johnnydollar01) March 6, 2024

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'Bold': Tucker Carlson crushes it with views on another Twitter monologue, earns plaudits from Elon Musk



Carlson has posted three episodes of his new show on Twitter, and each tweet so far has amassed huge view counts.

The tweet containing the third episode, which Carlson released on Tuesday evening, has reached more than 78 million views so far. The tweet featuring his second episode has more than 57 million views and the tweet containing the first episode of Carlson's new show has more than 116 million views so far.

During the third episode, Carlson claimed that the Washington establishment opposes former President Donald Trump due to Trump's anti-war views. Carlson said that Trump is the one individual with a chance at winning the presidency "who dissents from Washington's longstanding pointless war agenda. And for that, that one fact, they're trying to take Trump out before you can vote for him."

Elon Musk described Tucker Carlson's latest Twitter monologue as "Bold." In a follow up tweet, he elaborated, apparently indicating that Carlson's remarks represented a bold "attack on the military-industrial complex. The lobbying power of large government contractors is far higher than it should be for the good of the people," Musk wrote.

\u201c\u2026 attack on the military-industrial complex. \n\nThe lobbying power of large government contractors is far higher than it should be for the good of the people.\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1686718178

"Once again, I’d like to offer this platform to anyone on the left. You will get equal treatment," he has also tweeted.

When retweeting Carlson's second episode last week Musk noted that he would like to see Don Lemon and Rachel Maddow do shows on Twitter.

"It'd be great to have @maddow, @donlemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform. No exclusivity or legal docs required! You will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all," Musk wrote.

\u201cIt\u2019d be great to have @maddow, @donlemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform. No exclusivity or legal docs required!\n\nYou will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all.\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1686265751

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Mark Levin: 'It's utterly unrelated, you damn fool!'



When it comes to hating America, the kings of the left-wing media reside at MSNBC. Need proof? Mark brings the goods as Ali Velshi spews his Marxist propaganda while smearing America and Israel.

You have probably noticed that the people who hate America tend to hate Israel. People on the hard left, whether in the media, the Democratic Party, or academia, hate Israel. They won't call it anti-Semitism, but that's what it is. The standards that they apply to Israel, the attacks on Israel, they don't apply to any other free democratic country on the face of theEarth: France, Britain, Spain, or Germany.

On this episode of LevinTV, Mark reviewed a clip from MSNBC journalist Ali Velshi. In this clip, Velshi said he would soon leave Ukraine with a "heavy heart," primarily because of the suffering he witnessed there.

Velshi claimed he was deeply inspired by the Ukrainians he encountered and that they "showed the world what an existential fight for democracy looks like." At the beginning of the war, Velshi decided to concentrate on the many aspects of the war in Ukraine and brought viewers less coverage of other "important U.S. stories."

Now, brace yourself for what Velshi says next. According to Velshi, his MSNBC colleagues "did an incredible job staying on top of those important stories" and "holding power to account."

Velshi listed the other "important stories": "The continued attacks on voting rights; abortion rights; gay rights; trans rights, and the ongoing brazen attempts to subvert American democracy" and said those stories are "not unrelated to the basic rights under attack in [Ukraine's] fledgling democracy."

"It's utterly unrelated, you damn fool!" Mark exclaimed. "The Ukrainians are being slaughtered. There's genocide taking place, and atrocities of the worst kind."

Mark explained that Ukraine, in reality, more reflects and resembles Republican/conservative views on culture, morality, and governance than the radical left point of view.

Then, Velshi likened the Israeli government to countries like Afghanistan, Syria, China, Myanmar, and India.

"Unbelievable," Mark said. "To throw Israel in with Syria, Afghanistan, and Myanmar? Are you kidding me? [Israel] is an open society. They have a free press, a judicial system, and an opposition party."

"This guy dares to include Israel in his list of tyrannical totalitarian countries, and he attacks Republicans, conservatives, and Israelis while standing there, in Ukraine," Mark said. "Shameful and shameless. What goes on on this network, MSNBC, is disgusting."

Watch the clip for more details.


Want more from Mark Levin?

To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

'Rachel Maddow Show' and former US ambassador to Russia backpedaling after being blasted for favorably comparing Hitler to Putin: 'Vile and wrong!'



During a Friday night appearance on "The Rachel Maddow Show," a former U.S. ambassador to Russia was clobbered online for claiming that in certain aspects, Adolf Hitler wasn't as evil as Vladimir Putin. The comments were regarded as insensitive and blatantly false. The backlash forced both the ambassador and MSNBC to issue apologies in less than 24 hours.

Michael McFaul was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Russia by former President Barack Obama, and served in the position from 2012 until 2014. McFaul found himself in hot water for comparing Putin to Hitler.

McFaul appeared on "The Rachel Maddow Show" to give his opinion on "how horrific" the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been. During his appearance, McFaul said he gave an interview to a Ukrainian TV news program 30 minutes prior to going on MSNBC.

"One of the Russian journalists said, 'You know, there's one difference between Hitler when he was coming in and Putin. Hitler didn't kill ethnic Germans. He didn't kill German-speaking people,'" McFaul told host Ali Velshi – who was filling in for Rachel Maddow.

"I think people need to remember that we're talking about cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol and Kyiv, there are large populations there, you know, up to a third and sometimes as much to a half that are Russian speakers and are ethnic Russians," said McFaul – who is a Stanford University professor of international studies. "And yet Putin doesn't seem to care about that. He slaughters the very people he said he has come to liberate."

"There is one difference between Hitler, when he was coming in, and Putin: Hitler didn't kill ethnic Germans, he didn\u2019t kill German-speaking people", former US Ambassador quotes statement previously made on Ukrainian TV.pic.twitter.com/o6COHv4XJB
— In Context (@In Context) 1647089895

The Maddow Blog – which is a Twitter account run by "Rachel Maddow and her staff" – shared the sentiment, "One difference between Putin and Hitler is that Hitler didn't kill ethnic Germans, German-speaking people. Putin slaughters the very people he said he has come to liberate."

In reactions to the comments on Twitter, commentators were outraged by the simplistic and incorrect comparison, including by the official Twitter account for the Auschwitz Memorial.

Auschwitz Memorial: "On a factual note: Hitler did kill ethnic Germans & German-speaking people: those who opposed the Nazi regime, those who resisted, those who did not fit into the 'Weltanschauung'. He ordered the murder of people with different disabilities & finally the murder of German Jewry."

Investigative journalist Jerry Dunleavy: "Hitler 'didn’t kill German-speaking people' is an insanely false claim since many of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust spoke German. Pro-Tip: You don’t have to try to play weird word games to try to make Putin seem worse than Hitler — Putin is plenty bad on the objective facts."

Editor Noam Blum: "'Ethnic Germans' is a really weird way to get around the wholesale murder of German Jews."

Political commentator Drew Holden: "I promise you, no matter what, you don’t have to favorably compare Hitler to current foreign leaders."

Former CIA ops officer Bryan Dean Wright: "VILE & WRONG: Obama’s Ambassador to Russia — Michael @McFaul — claimed last night that Hitler didn’t kill German speaking people. Putin, on the other hand, is killing Russian speaking people and thus is worse, he declared."

Researcher and Middle East analyst Kyle Orton: "The first systematic victims of the Nazi regime were disabled non-Jewish Germans, for one thing. And, of course, what makes the Shoah so shocking is that German Jews were so integrated - 'German-speaking' was the least of it - and were targeted simply because of their identity."

Political commentator Pradheep J. Shanker: "MSNBC arguing the relative moral superiority of... Hitler. STOP IT."

Editor Max Blumenthal: "McFail’s rant absolving Hitler to own Putin is not just a window into the mentality of the ex-US ambassador to Moscow who helped instigate the new Cold War, but of the Blinken/Nuland State Department that is driving the desperate campaign to extend and escalate the war."

Journalist Jeff Carlson: "Obama's ambassador to Russia – who helped promote the Russian-Collusion narrative: 'One difference between Hitler, when he was coming in, and Putin. Hitler didn't kill ethnic Germans. He didn't kill German-speaking people.' These people are idiots."

Following the severe backlash, the Maddow Blog and McFaul issued apologies for making the comparison.

The Maddow Blog wrote on Twitter: "The historical record is clear. Hitler killed millions of Germans. We tweeted out part of an inaccurate statement made last night by former Ambassador Michael McFaul without attribution, and we regret doing so. We have since removed the tweet."

The historical record is clear. Hitler killed millions of Germans. We tweeted out part of an inaccurate statement made last night by former Ambassador Michael McFaul without attribution, and we regret doing so. We have since removed the tweet.pic.twitter.com/T33rhM1yPT
— Maddow Blog (@Maddow Blog) 1647098871

McFaul also walked back his comparison of Putin to Hitler.

"After a long of commentary that started with Morning Joe and end with Maddow, I slipped late last night and violated an unwritten taboo – never compare Hitler with anyone. I agree. He was incomparably evil. I won't do it again," McFaul tweeted.

"To those who wrote to me to explain that Hitler committed the same atrocities against ethnic Germans that Putin is committing against ethnic Russians today in Mariupol and Kharkiv, please suggest to me the best scholarly readings on this history," he added. "I'm eager to learn. END And please, to clarify the obvious, last night and today, we were NOT discussing Hitler's horrific killing of German citizens. Please have some decency to know that I would never compare Mariupol to the Holocaust."

Despite blaming fatigue for his comparison between Putin and Hitler, it was only a little more than two weeks ago when McFaul said, "I know it's taboo to compare anyone to Hitler. But the similarities between Hitler and Putin are just too many to ignore anymore. On some dimensions, they are very different. On others, they are not."

February 23, 2022. September 1, 1939. I know it's taboo to compare anyone to Hitler. But the similarities between Hitler and Putin are just too many to ignore anymore. On some dimensions, they are very different. On others, they are not.
— Michael McFaul (@Michael McFaul) 1645692323

Also on Feb. 24, the former ambassador wrote on Twitter, "There are many parallels between Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 and Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022."

There are many parallels between Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 and Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
— Michael McFaul (@Michael McFaul) 1645700303

McFaul likened Putin to Hitler on March 1, "Two dictators in last hundred years have attacked Kyiv— Hitler and Putin."

Two dictators in last hundred years have attacked Kyiv\u2014 Hitler and Putin.
— Michael McFaul (@Michael McFaul) 1646116352

On Jan. 21, McFaul said, "Ukraine has done nothing – absolutely nothing – to threaten Russia. But Putin is threatening to invade Ukraine. Feels like Saddam invading Kuwait or Hitler invading Poland. Wrong historical analogies? Which ones are better?"

Ukraine has done nothing -- absolutely nothing -- to threaten Russia. But Putin is threatening to invade Ukraine. Feels like Saddam invading Kuwait or Hitler invading Poland. Wrong historical analogies? Which ones are better?
— Michael McFaul (@Michael McFaul) 1642747049

McFaul once again suggested similarities of Putin and Hitler on Feb. 22, "Dictators (& sometimes democrats) who use war to achieve their aims sometimes succeed. And sometimes for a while. And then, they overreach. For Hitler that was the day he invaded the Soviet Union, For Brezhnev that was the day he invaded Afghanistan. For Putin, Ukraine 2022?"

He also asked, "Is Putin today acting more like Hitler or Milosevic? Discuss."

Dictators (& sometimes democrats) who use war to achieve their aims sometimes succeed. And sometimes for a while. And then, they overreach. For Hitler that was the day he invaded the Soviet Union, For Brezhnev that was the day he invaded Afghanistan. For Putin, Ukraine 2022?
— Michael McFaul (@Michael McFaul) 1645509047
Is Putin today acting more like Hitler or Milosevic? Discuss.
— Michael McFaul (@Michael McFaul) 1645509278

Peter Boghossian resigns from Portland State University, says students 'are not being taught to think'



After more than a decade teaching at Portland State University, Peter Boghossian has resigned and publicly shared his resignation letter which heavily criticizes the institution.

Boghossian, who noted that he is resigning as assistant professor of philosophy, said that students at the school are not getting "taught to think" and that faculty and administrators are pushing intolerance of divergent viewpoints.

Here's an excerpt from his letter:

I never once believed — nor do I now — that the purpose of instruction was to lead my students to a particular conclusion. Rather, I sought to create the conditions for rigorous thought; to help them gain the tools to hunt and furrow for their own conclusions. This is why I became a teacher and why I love teaching.

But brick by brick, the university has made this kind of intellectual exploration impossible. It has transformed a bastion of free inquiry into a Social Justice factory whose only inputs were race, gender, and victimhood and whose only outputs were grievance and division.

Students at Portland State are not being taught to think. Rather, they are being trained to mimic the moral certainty of ideologues. Faculty and administrators have abdicated the university's truth-seeking mission and instead drive intolerance of divergent beliefs and opinions. This has created a culture of offense where students are now afraid to speak openly and honestly.

Boghossian wrote that "it became increasingly clear to me that the incidents of illiberalism I had witnessed over the years were not just isolated events, but part of an institution-wide problem." He said that, "The more I spoke out about these issues, the more retaliation I faced."

He explained that he feels morally bound to relinquish his position in order live by his principles.

"While I am grateful for the opportunity to have taught at Portland State for over a decade, it has become clear to me that this institution is no place for people who intend to think freely and explore ideas," he noted. "This is not the outcome I wanted. But I feel morally obligated to make this choice. For ten years, I have taught my students the importance of living by your principles. One of mine is to defend our system of liberal education from those who seek to destroy it. Who would I be if I didn't?"

The institution said in a statement that it did not have a comment about the man's statement of resignation.

"Portland State has always been and will continue to be a welcoming home for free speech and academic freedom," the university's statement declared, according to Fox News. "We believe that those practices are not in conflict with our core institutional values of student success; racial justice and equity; and proactive engagement with our community. As with all personnel matters, we have no comment on Dr. Boghossian's statement of resignation."

Boghossian noted on Twitter that while he does not view himself as a conservative, he has been inundated with invitations to do interviews with conservative media, but he has not received any requests from liberal media.

"I've been deluged with requests to appear on conversative media regarding my resignation from PSU," Boghossian tweeted. "And yet, I don't consider myself a conservative. I've received zero requests for interviews with liberal media. I'd enjoy having a conversation with you @maddow @npr @msnbc," he wrote.

I’ve been deluged with requests to appear on conversative media regarding my resignation from PSU. And yet, I don’t… https://t.co/HlxWzanRkC

— Peter Boghossian (@peterboghossian) 1631135524.0

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, other major figures, duped by yet another hoax targeting Rudy Giuliani

Verified left-wing journalists on Twitter were duped by fabricated text messages devised by a college student allegedly sent to President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Post-debate media roundup: The fly dominates the debate. Also, Mike Pence is sexist.



Wednesday night's vice presidential debate was a substantive, issue-driven, coherent political debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and a significant amount of the media discussion about and reaction to the debate focused on a fly.

During the debate at Kingsbury Hall, Salt Lake City, Utah, a fly landed on Pence's head and sat there for about two minutes.

A fly lands on Vice President Pence during #VPDebate. https://t.co/i0O2K6N9Yy
— CSPAN (@CSPAN)1602124116.0

And for a time, the fly dominated debate discussion.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the fly that perched on Mike Pence’s head during the debate. 🤪 https://t.co/PsY2FI12DL
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@Jon Cooper 🇺🇸)1602123806.0
Fly wins the night and probably the most memorable thing that happened.
— Chris Hayes (@Chris Hayes)1602123619.0
Forever more this debate will be known as “The Fly Debate “. I feel bad for Pence
— Mark Cuban (@Mark Cuban)1602123635.0
“The fly is the October Surprise.”~@JonLemire
— Joe Scarborough (@Joe Scarborough)1602123692.0
the fly has won this debate
— John Harwood (@John Harwood)1602123552.0
this fly on his head is distracting me!!!! #VPDebate https://t.co/gd6jfXv3yR
— philip lewis (@philip lewis)1602123547.0
Oh my God.He’s so full of crap, a fly has landed on his head. https://t.co/f61K9oIvKa
— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@Ana Navarro-Cárdenas)1602123621.0

Daily Caller reporter Andrew Kerr called out the media for its triviality.

Nobody gets to complain about civility in politics anymore.We just witnessed the only coherent debate of the pres… https://t.co/zxh9wlikye
— Andrew Kerr (@Andrew Kerr)1602126370.0

Aside from the fly, immediate media reaction to the debate focused on the performances of the two vice presidential candidates. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow remarked that the debate reminded her of what politics used to be like, before criticizing the Trump administration.

“It was like a visit to normal politics land,” @maddow says of #vpdebate, "which is fine and to be expected when it… https://t.co/nOT73aalVL
— MSNBC (@MSNBC)1602125396.0

Maddow led a panel with MSNBC contributors Nicole Wallace and Joy Reid.

Reid, after mentioning the fly, criticized Pence for interrupting Harris, accusing him of "doing a softer version of what Donald Trump did last week."

"He repeatedly interrupted her, he demanded, well, he also repeatedly interrupted the other woman in the room, which is the moderator who seemed to at some point lose control of him, and he also continually demanded that Kamala Harris answer his questions," Reid said. "She was not there to answer his questions."

After Reid noted how Pence apparently steamrolled the moderator and Harris, which she said will hurt Trump with women, Wallace said his performance was "flaccid and anemic," which she says will hurt Trump with men.

"Vice President Pence appeared flaccid," @NicolleDWallace says of VP Pence's #vpdebate performance. "The only time… https://t.co/cwF2wML5JB
— MSNBC (@MSNBC)1602125539.0

Former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill later joined the MSNBC panel and called Pence "patronizing" and "boring."

"Let me start with Pence. He was patronizing, which drove all the women crazy. And he was boring, which lost most o… https://t.co/eqKLr10Cus
— MSNBC (@MSNBC)1602126717.0

Pence was criticized by other commentators for interrupting Harris. According to CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter, CBS anchor Norah Odonnell claimed that Pence interrupted Harris "twice as often" as Harris interrupted Pence.

>> @NorahODonnell on CBS: "Our team was following it very closely, and the VP Mike Pence interrupted Sen. Kamala Harris twice as often."
— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter)1602124731.0

MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski complained that Pence overran his time and was not controlled by moderator Susan Page.

Why cant Susan page control this debate. She is getting run over??? Why ..
— Mika Brzezinski (@Mika Brzezinski)1602123735.0

MSNBC's Chris Hayes made the interruptions a gender issue.

The gendered dynamics of interruption and the power to interrupt is always so in your face in these settings. My god.
— Chris Hayes (@Chris Hayes)1602122521.0

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos brought sexism into his analysis, accusing Pence of "mansplaining" to Harris.

ABC's George Stephanopoulos:"A lot of people were noticing some mansplaining going on tonight." https://t.co/5FtQlyxL9p
— Daily Caller (@Daily Caller)1602125358.0


But two independent reviews of the speaking time reveals that Harris had equal time with Pence, if not more.

Pence and Harris had almost exactly the same amount of speaking time, per @CNN https://t.co/NQn43YRd1k
— Andrew Solender (@Andrew Solender)1602126237.0
unofficial speaking times -Pence: 35:22Harris: 38:48 via @Kjwalsh_news
— Rick Klein (@Rick Klein)1602124720.0

Ben Shapiro said that Pence's performance was "effective," which is why commentators assumed he spoke more.

But everybody thought Pence spoke more. Which demonstrates how effective he was. Harris' performance, which will be… https://t.co/7TZOZMhwo0
— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro)1602125252.0

Others said Pence performed well. CBS' Norah O'Donnell said Pence was "masterful."

"You may not agree with anything his administration does, but in terms of his debating style he repeatedly did not answer the question that was posed to him about the record of the Trump administration on a number of issues, he pivoted and used the time to deliver a direct attack against Joe Biden's long record in Washington. And I was stunned because I thought that Kamala Harris, the former prosecutor and skilled debater ... would be able to make sure it was the Trump record that was on defense."

"Many times it seemed like Kamala was on defense," she added.

CBS’s Norah O’Donnell says Vice President Pence’s debate performance was “masterful.”He “used the time to deliver… https://t.co/bTFlnLtLzl
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022)1602126453.0

ABC News newscaster Linsey Davis said Pence "really held [Harris'] feet to the fire" on the Supreme Court.

ABC News’ Linsey Davis: Vice President @Mike_Pence “really held her feet to the fire,” especially on the Supreme Co… https://t.co/QOlanXCFog
— Steve Guest (@Steve Guest)1602126591.0

ABC News contributor Sara Fagen said Pence "did a great job."

ABC News contributor Sara Fagen on Vice President @Mike_Pence: “he did a great job”https://t.co/UnPPEjg7Y6 https://t.co/NY6CKEm9Ds
— RNC Research (@RNC Research)1602126716.0

CNN contributor Van Jones said Harris was "run over" and said Pence was "masterful" and "made conservatism seem normal again."

CNN's Van Jones is big mad that Mike Pence "was masterful in normalizing conservative ideas." 😂😂😂😂#VPDebate https://t.co/6z5LdMB6ve
— Curtis Houck (@Curtis Houck)1602126492.0

Harris was criticized for missing opportunities to attack the Trump administration and for dodging some questions.

NBC's Lester Hold and Andrea Mitchell noted Harris "didn't score" on the issue of masks.

On NBC, Lester Holt and Andrea @MitchellReports regretted Harris “left on the table” anti-Trump points, “surprised… https://t.co/iV8ycYPT1O
— NewsBusters (@NewsBusters)1602125484.0

CNN's Jake Tapper criticized Harris for dodging a question on packing the Supreme Court.

CNN’s Jake Tapper: Sen. Kamala Harris didn’t answer questions about packing the Supreme Court, “that’s significant,… https://t.co/Sy0r22RVjd
— RNC Research (@RNC Research)1602125989.0

Conservatives, for the most part, say Pence won the debate. Progressives say Harris won. But if debates are won on memorability, we should all acknowledge the fly as the true winner.

Media roundup: Most commentators think the first presidential debate was a 's**t show'



The emerging mainstream media consensus is, predictably, that Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe Biden won the first presidential debate of the 2020 campaign. The commentators and pundits also seem to agree that the debate was, to quote CNN's Dana Bash, a "s**t show."

Headlines reported by CNN's senior media reporter Oliver Darcy describe the debate as "pure chaos" and "mayhem."

President Donald Trump's performance in particular is under fire, variously being characterized as "monstrous," "abusive," "horrific," and a "disgrace."

Leading a panel discussion after the debate, CNN's Jake Tapper called it "a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside of a train wreck."

"That was the worst debate I have ever seen. It wasn't even a debate. It was a disgrace," Tapper said. "And it's primarily because of President Trump, who spent the entire time interrupting, not abiding by the rules he agreed to, lying, maliciously attacking the son of the vice president. When asked to condemn white supremacists, he brought up the name of a neo-fascist far right group and said stand back and stand by."

"The American people lost tonight, because that was horrific," he added.

Dana Bash went further, calling the debate a "s**t show."

'Dumpster fire': See Jake Tapper and Dana Bash's blunt reaction to debateyoutu.be

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos also said this debate was "the worst presidential debate I have ever seen in my life."

.@GStephanopoulos: "I have to speak personally here...that was the worst presidential debate I have ever seen in my… https://t.co/hYHDt6j4Lo
— ABC News (@ABC News)1601434004.0

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow said the debate was "unlike anything that has ever happened on a presidential debate stage ever before." She slammed the president for accusing Democrats of engaging in electoral fraud and criticizing mail-in ballots.

.@maddow: "What happened on that debate stage is unlike anything that has ever happened on a presidential debate stage ever before."
— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin)1601434001.0
.@maddow: "He is not participating in a re-election campaign. He is arguing that he should stay in office and the e… https://t.co/vSP5oV4KRJ
— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin)1601434207.0

In her telling, Trump delivered a "monstrous cavalcade of increasingly wild and obscene lies."

>> @Maddow: "There's something beyond fact-checking that needs to happen."Trump delivered a "monstrous cavalcade… https://t.co/wM4MUYmQ6G
— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter)1601434037.0

MSNBC commentator Nicole Wallace said Trump acted as an "abuser."

"Chris Wallace did not act as a moderator. Donald Trump did not act as a debater," Wallace said. "Donald Trump was the abuser, and Chris Wallace was among the abused.

Wallace said Biden was also "among the abused" and said Trump was "cheating" by continually interrupting his opponent and speaking during his allotted time.

"I think women might have appreciated that this didn't descend into pure violence ... this felt like an assault," Wallace said.

Nicolle Wallace: Trump's Debate Performance Felt Like 'An Assault' On American Politics | MSNBCwww.youtube.com

It's not just liberals in the media saying the debate was bad.

"This debate was a train wreck," said former press secretary for President George W. Bush Ari Fleischer. "A mess that isn't good for our country." He criticized Trump for interrupting too much and Biden for responding in kind.

Townhall's Guy Benson said Biden succeeded tonight because he presented himself as a viable alternative to people tired of President Trump.

Well, that was bad. Hard to organize thoughts after that chaos, but bottom line: Biden’s overall goal was to look l… https://t.co/mfcN6EUxWu
— Guy Benson (@Guy Benson)1601433867.0

Former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who helped Trump prepare for the debates, said the president was "too aggressive" but added "that potentially can be fixed."

On ABC, Chris Christie says that debate did not plan out as he had prepped Trump for. He called him out for having… https://t.co/7sxwdNOdbZ
— Curtis Houck (@Curtis Houck)1601437681.0

Many conservative commentators expressed irritation with moderator Chris Wallace, who frequently fought with Trump and tried to get the president to refrain from interrupting Biden.

Chris Wallace is the most irritating person on this broadcast, which is saying something.
— Michael Knowles (@Michael Knowles)1601432106.0
Never allow Chris Wallace to moderate another debate again. This was an absolute shit show. The viewer wasn’t even a secondary concern.
— Dana Loesch (@Dana Loesch)1601433614.0

Wallace came under fire for letting Biden assert that Trump said there were "very fine people" on both sides at the 2017 neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. That is a false narrative, as President Trump was not talking about the neo-Nazis, he was referring to individuals on both sides of the Confederate monument debate. Wallace's refusal to push back on Biden made him a target for criticism.

Tonight, “Moderator” Chris Wallace allowed Joe Biden to repeat the Charlottesville “Very Fine People” Lie unchallen… https://t.co/FgxToEdvkG
— Benny (@Benny)1601439392.0
Ok, I don’t generally nitpick moderators, but Chris Wallace asking Joe Biden about the “very fine people” thing wit… https://t.co/uDKvHaKFCD
— Jesse Kelly (@Jesse Kelly)1601430941.0

Wallace was also criticized for appearing to take Biden's side on the issues.

Chris Wallace, over the course of the night, has moved from moderator to debater.
— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro)1601432459.0
And Chris Wallace did not ask Biden to denounce Antifa - journalistic malpractice https://t.co/Qcj0tfg4vq
— Benny (@Benny)1601438459.0
Biden claimed tonight, after helpful prompting from Chris Wallace, that he does not support the Green New Deal.Bi… https://t.co/i0o2macDgg
— Sean Davis (@Sean Davis)1601438428.0
Just FYI, critical race theory is NOT “racial-sensitivity training,” contra Chris Wallace’s ill-informed framing.… https://t.co/lSmaziTVmq
— Sohrab Ahmari (@Sohrab Ahmari)1601438326.0

According to a snap poll taken by CBS News, most viewers thought Biden edged out Trump, with 48% saying the Democratic nominee won, 41% saying the president won, and 10% saying it was a tie.

CBS NEWS BATTLEGROUND TRACKERInstant poll of debate watchers: more say Joe Biden won tonight’s debate https://t.co/dHZqV95wqB
— CBS News Poll (@CBS News Poll)1601434691.0

A CNN poll found 60% of respondents said Biden defeated Trump.

Interestingly, Spanish-speaking viewers on Telemundo had a different opinion, saying by a wide margin that Trump won the debate.

Spanish speaking viewers of Telemundo expressed their preference of who won tonight’s presidential debate: 66% Trum… https://t.co/HAcpy1cEUS
— Daniel Garza (@Daniel Garza)1601435002.0

BlazeTV host Steve Deace may have had the best summary, offering that if you liked either candidate coming into the debate, you probably didn't change your mind.

If you liked these two candidates coming in, you probably like this cranky and personally spiteful debate. If you w… https://t.co/14Zslvox2L
— Steve Deace (@Steve Deace)1601431464.0

The second presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled for Oct. 15. It will be moderated by Steve Scully, a senior executive producer and political editor for C-SPAN .