Stephanopoulos: Biggest debate question should be 'Who won the last election?'
By: Elizabeth Crisp (The Hill)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos says it's "very simple" what should be the most pressing question posed to former President Trump and President Biden when they take the presidential debate stage this month: "Who won the last election?"
"If you can't pass that fundamental threshold … then I think that's all voters and viewers need to know," he said during a CNN interview this week. "If you're willing to lie about something as big as that, why should anything else you want to talk about be given any credence?"
Trump and Biden are scheduled to debate in Atlanta on June 27 in an event hosted by CNN. Their second debate, hosted by ABC News, is scheduled for Sept. 10.
After losing to Biden in the 2020 presidential election, Trump has continued to dismiss the election outcome. His unfounded claims of wide-spread fraud in the election prompted his supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to try to stop the certification of Biden's victory.
Stephanopoulos has frequently pressed Republicans — particularly Trump allies — in the past over their reluctance to accept the 2020 election results.
"I've made it a point, if they will not accept those facts, I don't go on to other issues," he said. "I'm not going to participate in some kind of sham where you somehow equate the legitimacy of an election or the peaceful transfer of power with a debate over tax cuts or environmental regulations."
Trump said in an interview last month that he'll accept the 2024 election results "if everything's honest" — a condition he's set without elaborating several times. But Stephanopoulos said the debate stage will be a "real test" if Trump plans to stick with his position that the 2020 election was "rigged" in front of millions of viewers and his political foe Biden.
"It's fundamental the very question of whether or not you accept the election results," the ABC host said. "It's absolutely a fundamental issue people should be confronted with."
ABC announced that its anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the September debate. Trump has separately also been in a legal clash with the network, filing a lawsuit against ABC and Stephanopoulos earlier this year over defamation claims.
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I'd watch and record THAT question all by itself...
It REALLY is rather simple and basic. If you cant say who won the last election at this point you are either too stupid or too dishonest to be president.
It should be the first question they ask Trump.
Trump would lie and say he did.
Of course, his ego would never allow him to admit he lost.
He won't accept the 2024 results either if he loses. He will start his shit all over again or add on to the shit he's doing now
The sore fucking loser revenge and retribution legal fees tour continues to this day . .and will continue until when?
We are going to find out what kind of balls the debate moderators have. If they dont grill Trump mercilessly about his election denial and J6 it will be a travesty.
You know Biden is the president right?
but you are correct, the questions to Biden will be along the lines of “you are the best president ever. Why is that? and why is trump so bad? And the “ questions” to trump will be “prove you aren’t unfit to be president“
same as always.
Right wingers are near desperation when they address the topic of this seed.
you know what will happen. The moderators will protect Biden and attack trump, just like they have in every General election debate trump has been in. Hell, they intervened to protect Obama against Romney, you know these democats will fight trump tooth and nail.
But no matter how biased they are, no matter how much work they do for Biden, most progressives will bitch and whine that they didn’t do enough. It never changes.
I know who won the 2020 election, the question is why doesnt the Republican candidate know. Three and a half years later he is still whining that the election was stolen from him. That doesnt strike you as completely odd ?, given that he cant show a shred of evidence of voter fraud.
Nobody cares. Trump has said he was the rightful winner for 4 years. It’s not news to anyone. People care about the economy, immigration, Biden’s mental health. No ones vote is going to change over trump saying the same thing about 2020 for the millionth time.
LOL. No one cares about Trump's mental health? He has a recognized mental illness.
The American economy is as good as a president can make it right now. And immigration is being addressed.
The political right, aka MAGA is becoming untethered from reality.
He might as well have said he is from Mars. Would that disqualify him?
The American economy is as good as a president can make it right now. And immigration is being addressed.
that must explain why Biden’s approval rating is over 60% and not at a record low for his presidency. Everything is perfect and Biden just ran a sub 4 minute mile while translating the Declaration of Independence into attic Greek.
that must explain why Biden’s approval rating is over 60% and not at a record low for his presidency.
There is a machine that runs in overdrive 24/7/365 to shove false narratives in front of uninformed American faces. Trump’s supporters come from two factions - those that don’t know how to distinguish lies from reality, and people like you who do know the difference but are giddy with excitement about feeding the lies to them.
He has already said that if he loses it'll be because of a rigged election.