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Trump says Harris debate was ‘rigged,' ABC should lose license, but ‘we did great'

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, debates Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, for the first time during the presidential election campaign at The National Constitution Center on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
Win Mcnamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
  • Donald Trump blasted ABC News moderators for hosting what he called a "rigged" debate against Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
  • The former president and Republican nominee said government regulators "ought to take away" the "terrible" network's "license for the way they did that," but claimed "we did great."
  • Trump also brushed off the endorsement by Taylor Swift during his interview on Fox News.

Donald Trump on Wednesday morning blasted ABC News moderators for hosting what the Republican presidential nominee called a "rigged" debate against Kamala Harris, and said government regulators "ought to take away" the "terrible" network's "license for the way they did that."

But Trump also said, "We did great" in the Tuesday night debate during a call-in interview with the "Fox and Friends" show on Fox News.

"It was one of my better debates, one of my best debates," said the former president, who nonetheless griped that the debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis "corrected" him too frequently in his showdown with Harris.

Trump said the debate felt like he was battling three opponents: Vice President Harris, and the two ABC News moderators.

Trump also brushed off pop star Taylor Swift's endorsement of the Democratic nominee Harris, which Swift announced minutes after the debate.

"I am not a Taylor Swift fan … she'll probably pay a price for it in the market," Trump said.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gives a thumbs down during a presidential debate with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. 
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gives a thumbs down during a presidential debate with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. 

Harris' campaign had a much different view of the debate, boasting about her performance against Trump.

The vice president told supporters Tuesday night that "today was a good day."

Harris' campaign also called for a second debate against Trump in October.

Asked about that challenge on "Fox and Friends" on Wednesday, Trump replied, "Well, I'd be less inclined to, because we had a great night."

"We won the debate," he said. "We had a terrible, a terrible network."

As Trump spoke, the share price of his social media company, Trump Media, plunged on the heels of the debate.

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