ABC News and its debate moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, are continuing to face backlash after their exchange during September 10th’s presidential debate with former President Donald Trump. The controversy centers around a discussion about reports of Haitian migrants allegedly eating domestic animals in Springfield, Ohio—a claim Trump made that was immediately refuted by Muir on national television.
The exchange unfolded when Trump brought up the issue of migrants in Springfield allegedly consuming local pets, drawing skepticism from the moderators. Muir, in his role as moderator, quickly moved to challenge Trump’s assertion, stating that ABC had contacted the Springfield city manager, who reportedly said there were no credible reports of such incidents.
Trump’s claim went as follows: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
Muir responded, “I just want to clarify here, you bring up Springfield, Ohio, and ABC News did reach out to the city manager there. He told us there had been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
While the rebuttal was meant to discredit Trump’s claim, resurfaced footage from Springfield has thrown Muir’s comments into question, intensifying public scrutiny. The footage, posted on social media, featured Springfield’s city manager discussing the very concerns that Trump raised during the debate, only this was back in March. In the video, a Springfield resident describes disturbing incidents involving domestic animals.
“One of the things that I heard that bothered me very much, I’ve actually had quite a few people contact me here lately, is some pretty horrid things occurring to domesticated animals in the neighborhood,” the resident said. The individual also noted that they had received these reports from anonymous sources who did not want their identities revealed.
The city manager, who was reportedly consulted by ABC News prior to the debate, is seen responding to the resident, stating, “I mean we haven’t seen the proof… and I’ve heard about it.” His admission that he has heard of these reports, despite a lack of concrete evidence, contradicts Muir’s earlier insistence that no such claims existed.
The footage has led to a firestorm of criticism against Muir and ABC News, with many accusing the network of either failing to adequately investigate the situation or deliberately downplaying the concerns raised by local residents. Outlets and commentators have seized on the footage as proof that the mainstream media is too quick to dismiss Trump’s assertions, even when there is conflicting evidence.
Following the debate, ABC’s “World News Tonight” with Muir experienced a notable dip in viewers. The program averaged 6.7 million viewers for the episodes last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday post-debate, down from its 2024 average of 7.6 million prior to the debate according to The New York Post. The 12% drop in viewership for “World News Tonight” was significantly sharper than the minor decreases seen by “CBS Evening News” and “NBC Nightly News” during the same period.
With viewers now fact-checking the fact-checkers, the network finds itself neck-deep in a public battle, one that could have lasting implications for its credibility.
