A Disastrous Debate and The Fox News Spin of Doom

A condensed overview of 23 hours of Fox News for the week ending 6/30/24

Last week about 51 million Americans tuned in to watch one of the strangest presidential debates in recent history. Joe Biden looked pale, sick and confused while Donald J. Trump told lie after lie while mugging like a Looney Tunes cartoon version of Benito Mussolini.

The moderators politely sat back and didn’t correct the most egregious falsehoods such as Trump’s declaration that babies are murdered after birth in Democratic led states. I documented 53 false or misleading statements made by Trump during the fiasco parading as a debate.

In theory Joe Biden was supposed to push back on at least some of Trump’s lies but he wasn’t up to the task. He got stronger as the night continued but he was no match for Trump’s confident yet completely inaccurate answers.

Joe Biden sounded weak and raspy and appeared to stare off into space when Trump blathered on while he created his own reality. The worst moment was when Biden lost his train of thought mid-answer only to blurt out that he ‘beat Medicaid.’

The entire endeavor dissolved into idiocy when the two elderly men started squabbling about their golf games.

It was a disaster for CNN. It was a disaster for Joe Biden. It was a disaster for anyone who thinks Donald J. Trump is a threat to our democracy.

After the debate I was surprised by the immediate reaction on Fox News. Instead of gleefully mocking Joe Biden and celebrating Donald J. Trump most of the hosts seemed genuinely shocked. Their moods were muted and somber.

By the next morning the network had sent out two hosts to cover diners filled with Fox News fans in two different cities to celebrate Joe Biden’s defeat, blame Jill Biden for everything and praise their glorious leader Trump.

Anyone exclusively watching Fox last week would have missed out on major stories involving rulings by the Supreme Court, an attempted coup in South America and a ruling that would ban abortion at six weeks in Iowa.

Shows I covered last week:

• Fox & Friends - Thurs. - 3 hours, Fri. - 4 hours

• The Five

• The Ingraham Angle

• Debate pre-show - Two hours

• Debate post-show - Two hours

Before The Debate Fox News Seemed Scared of Joe Biden

At the start of the week the producers at Fox had Biden on the brain as the network reported on very little else. On Tuesday’s installment of, “The Five,” someone at Fox News thought it was a good idea to produce several consecutive segments about Joe Biden in a row.

“Joe Biden is as elusive as Bigfoot,” said Jesse Watters as he opened the first segment which was dedicated to Biden’s preparation for the presidential debate.

The Greg Gutfeld introduced a segment that criticized Biden for getting help from other Democrats.

“Like a Democrat Bat signal, the dynamic duo of liberal politics, is here to save the blank crusader from losing to the orange menace. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both making efforts to sound the alarm. A new piece from New York Mag titled ‘What Obama is Whispering’ to Biden.”

In the next segment Dana Perino opened with a story about a protest outside of a synagogue in Los Angeles. Biden had condemned antisemitism, but Fox News didn’t think he condemned strongly enough.

“And President Biden condemning a shocking act of anti-Semitic intimidation but will be back up his words and actions.”

Then finally in the fourth segment of the same broadcast Judge Jeanine Pirro blamed Joe Biden for the demise of “Hooters,” an outdated themed restaurant chain that peaked in the 1980s.

“Bidenomics continues to decimate some of America's most iconic restaurants. With Hooters becoming its latest casualty.”

Normally “The Five,” will include one maybe two segments dedicated to trashing the president but to line up four in a row was unprecedented.

After the Debate - The Aftermath

I was expecting the panel of Fox News hosts assembled for the post-debate analysis to celebrate the rounding defeat of President Biden.

Instead, they appeared stunned and shocked. Dana Perino started the discussion with a concerned tone.

“I saw Joe Biden at the state of the Union. I know we all were there. I didn't like the speech. I thought he yelled a lot, but he was like, fine. So we all thought, okay, so maybe he'll do fine. That was terrible. Within the first 10 seconds. Eighty minutes into the debate is when they asked a question about age. It didn't matter by then what the answer was because everyone had already watched it for 80 minutes.”

Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of Donald J. Trump and co-chair of the RNC boiled it down to how many non-political viewers might have seen it.

“You almost didn't need to watch it. Sean, with the sound on to see the difference between these two men. It was weakness versus strength. We need strength right now in this country. We need to get this country back. The American people are desperate for it and it's Donald Trump who will deliver.”

Sean Hannity featured a short montage of Biden’s worst moments.

“I am going to show a montage in a short period. Robert, why do we have that montage available? because it was Joe Biden when he wasn't even speaking, when it was split screen, and he was on camera. And that that that stare, that he just seemed like he wasn't there.”

Later on, “Fox News at Night with Trace Gallagher,” Lee Hartley Carter, a pollster, offered feedback she’d gotten from independent voters.

“Well, you know, we just finished a focus group here, tonight with voters. Five of them were undecided voters. none of them decided that they were going to go for a Joe Biden after tonight. Four of them decided they're going for Donald Trump. And one just said they were too depressed to move forward with any of the candidates. I think it was a very, very bad night for Joe Biden.”

“This is disastrous for Democrats,” said Gallagher.

Beverly Hallberg, a media trainer and coach, agreed.

“If you're the Democrats. yeah. And this was all about the undecided voter. This isn't for the people who've already made up their mind who they want to vote for. And so, what Donald Trump needed to do, I actually think he accomplished. And that was to not have the low blows, to not have the insults, to actually let Joe Biden speak. Joe Biden was burying himself with what he said. And so even if people didn't decide to pull the trigger for Donald Trump, if they decided not to vote for Joe Biden, maybe not vote at all or go for a third candidate. That's a win for Donald Trump.”

Elizabeth Pipko, the Republican National Committee spokesperson, spoke about the evening as if she watched a funeral.

“It was a rough night for Joe Biden. It was a rough night for the American people who had to watch their commander in chief barely make it through 90 minutes, and it was a rough night for the Democrat Party, who got caught red handed, basically lying about who it is that's been running this country for nearly four years.”

Fox News LOVES CNN

On “Fox News at Night,” Trace Gallagher and Kevin Corke both sung the praises of CNN during the post-debate discussion.

“Rules and moderators for the evening, and for the most part, the network and its anchors got good marks. The senior national correspondent, Kevin Corke, is live in D.C. with more on that side of the story. Kevin. Good evening,” said Gallagher.

“Evening, Trace. Credit where credit is due - Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderated a claimed balanced and focused debate tonight. And while both presidents were surprisingly unfocused at times, you know, repeatedly ignoring very straightforward questions,” said Corke.

The next morning on “Fox & Friends,” Lawrence Jones also gushed about CNN.

“The moderators stayed out of the way. They asked the questions, and you can see the bias in the sense of the question that they asked. But they didn't try to step on the candidates. They didn't try to keep pushing back. They let it happen and genuinely, you wouldn't like a little push back, but they have to restore the trust of the American people before they're allowed to push back again,” said Jones.

His co-host Ainsley Earhardt agreed.

“And despite the negative things they've said about Donald Trump in the past, you're right. They did handle it very professionally last night, which is what we all wanted.”

Steve Doocy also weighed in as he reported remotely from a diner in Virginia.

“And Lawrence your point about CNN. I like the way they did it, too. It's just okay, here's your question. Okay. That was not a very long answer, Mr. President. You have 87 seconds left, right? You like to say I like the way they did that. But then here's the thing that this particular format allowed each of the candidates to fact check each other. Yep. And when Joe Biden would fact check Donald Trump, did anybody understand what he was talking about? No, it wasn't just a meandering, but it was so soft. And then he'd kind of run out of gas. And then I think he got a little flustered. And we know he's he's got a history, has been a stutter since he was a small boy, but none of it worked for him.”

Jesse Watters and Project 2025

The night of the debate during an early broadcast of “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Watters brought up Project 2025.

“Biden highlighted a 900-page report that he says if this is Trump's plan, if he wins, it's not. They call it ‘Project 2025’ They say Trump will terminate the constitution, ban abortions nationwide and defund the police. That's not his policy at all. But it doesn't matter. Biden will use it as a weapon tonight to tell millions of voters Trump's a dictator. Is Trump ready?”

Watters left out that several former Trump administration officials worked on Project 2025 and many of his close advisers are huge champions of the conservative plan to reshape the U.S. government.

Democracy Docket, liberal-leaning voting rights platform dedicated to tracking election litigation, described it as such:

“Project 2025 doesn’t just include policy proposals — like immigration actions, educational proposals and economic plans — but rather a portrait of the America that conservatives hope to implement in the next Republican administration, be it Trump or someone else. The document is a thorough blueprint for how, exactly, to carry out such a vision, through recommendations for key White House staff, cabinet positions, Congress, federal agencies, commissions and boards. The plan goes so far as to outline a vetting process for appointing and hiring the right people in every level of government to carry out this vision.”

MAGA Diner Voters Love Biden

On Friday the producers at “Fox & Friends,” sent Rachel Campos-Duffy to a diner in Canton, Georgia to talk to fans of Fox News to see what they thought of the debate.

“David, do you think that Joe Biden is going to be replaced after last night, or do you think that he's going to stay in?” asked Campos-Duffy as she pushed the microphone towards a white man with flowing white hair.

“I think he's going to be replaced. But I really hate to say that because they might put somebody in there that Trump can't beat,” said the man with a chuckle.

The Fox host went to a table of middle-aged white women clad in baseball caps.

“All right. Really some, some some people, particularly women. And they were saying that they're just more scared than ever about the country just seeing, Joe Biden's condition on stage last night, said Campos-Duffy.”

The Fox News hosts offered the mic to a woman with long red hair and an Oakland A’s cap on.

“Yeah. there's no confidence there at all. I'll be surprised if he makes it to the election. I hope he does, because I think we have a really great chance because it's like ‘Weekend at Bernie's’ over and over again,” said the woman.

Rachel Campos-Duffy Won’t Let the Dream Die of an Michelle Obama Run for President

During the same broadcast Campos-Duffy shared her thoughts on who should replace Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket.

“To step aside and let somebody else come in, whether it's Newsom or Michelle Obama or Governor Whitmer, Whitmer or whoever. I think probably the Newsom, Michelle Obama ticket makes a lot more sense if I was a Democrat.” said Campos-Duffy.

The night before on “The Five,” Dana Perino brought up a story about an alleged rift between Michelle Obama and the Biden family.

“Michelle Obama. She really doesn't like politics. Yeah, she doesn't like partisan politics, which is why I can't stress enough that she is not going to be the Democratic nominee.”

“Yeah, I agree,” said her co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro.

“I do imagine that there are a lot of people that worked in the Obama world who want the Democrats to continue to win. They really don't like Donald Trump. And so, they're trying to be as good as they can. But I think Michelle Obama's like, I don't like politics. I don't want to be around this. I'm enjoying my life. I'm not going to get involved,” said Perino.

Michelle Obama has said for years that she has no interest in a political career of her own. She even issued a statement earlier this year that she had no intention of running for president.

They are Going to Draft Your Daughters!

During one of her diner appearances Rachel Campos-Duffy made a bizarre prediction.

“And then finally the Ukraine war is a women's issue. People are concerned that their sons and their daughters, even, perhaps, will be drafted into a war that they don't know, understand and they don't stand for, and they don't want their sons and daughters dying for.”

There’s a lot to unpack with that statement. For starters the last military draft was in 1973 near the end of the Vietnam War. The U.S. military has also been involved in numerous military conflicts since Vietnam and there’s been no call to reinstate the military draft.

Women do not have to sign up for Selective Service that would make them eligible for a military draft. There’s also no political movement to force young women to become part of the Selective Service program.

Currently a federal law requires that nearly all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants, 18 through 25, register with the Selective Service.

Finally, the United States is not at war with any country in Europe. Although the U.S. does supply military support and aid for Ukraine there are no U.S. soldiers fighting in the Ukrainian War.

The U.S. does supply a small amount of military advisers who have helped train the Ukrainian military but they are not in combat positions and are limited to the United States embassy.

Stories Fox News Ignored

Every week I compare the hours I’ve watched on Fox News to five hours of the PBS NewsHour. Normally I try to provide a list of the most important topical stories that PBS covered that Fox News did not.

Last week Fox News was so focused on the presidential debate and trashing Joe Biden that this list was excessively long. I decided to feature the most important stories that Fox News left out.

• Updates to the Israel-Hamas War

  • The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students are no longer exempt from military conscription and are no longer eligible for substantial government benefits. This could greatly weaken Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

  • The U.N. said they will suspend humanitarian aid throughout Gaza until safety conditions for aid workers improve.

  • A floating temporary pier built by the U.S. military to help get more humanitarian aid into Gaza was removed due to rough seas. It may not return until aid flow resumes.

• Updates to the Ukraine War

  • The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands issued arrest warrants for Russian officials who have targeted power plants in Ukraine. This is the third time the court has accused senior Russian officials of war crimes.

  • The E.U. signed a long-term security pact with Ukraine during a two day summit in Brussels. The agreement comes as the E.U. is delivering the first military equipment to Ukraine financed by the profits from frozen Russian assets.

• Climate Disasters

  • PBS produced a segment about the depletion of the Ogallala aquifer a major source of water for farmers in the Great Plaines. The underground water source has been decimated by climate change and overuse.

• Recent Supreme Court Rulings and New Cases

  • The court agreed to hear the first case regarding the use of gender affirming care for transgender youth.

  • The court sided with the Biden admin. 6-3 in a case involving government communication with social media companies.

  • The court blocked an EPA ‘good neighbors’ law that would protect states down wind of states that produce air pollution through smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources. The court put the rule on hold while legal challenges continue.

  • The court rejected a bankruptcy case that involved the Sackler family of Purdue Pharma and billions in settlements regarding the opioid crisis. The settlement would have protected the family from further lawsuits and paid $6 billion to families and states.

  • The court upheld a law that makes homeless encampments in public parks in a southwest Oregon city illegal.

  • The court overturned a 40-year precedent when it reversed what’s known as Chevron deference. Critics say the ruling will greatly weaken federal regulatory agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency.

• PBS produced a segment about Trump’s vows to end funding for schools with vaccine mandates. The vast majority of schools in the United States have had mandates for childhood diseases for decades. Prior to vaccine mandates Measles alone would cause 48,000 hospitalizations and 500 deaths a year.

• Violent protests broke out in Kenya over a proposed new tax. During the riots five people were killed. The president conceded that he would not sign the bill that was meant to help pay off debt.

• Experts warn that 755,000 people are at risk of famine in war-torn Sudan as the fighting continues between rival militias. The report said that 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages after 14 months of conflict in Sudan.

• Retail software provider CDK Global said it would take days to resolve a cyber attack on 15,000 car dealerships across North America.

• The U.S. Surgeon General issued a new advisory calling gun violence a public health crisis.

• The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the state’s first religious charter school violated its constitution.

• The Oklahoma school superintendent issued a new directive that would mandate the teaching of the Christian Bible and the Ten Commandments in all public schools.

• More than a dozen high-ranking military officers and intelligence officials were arrested in Bolivia for their role in an attempted coup to replace the president.

• PBS produced a segment as part of their America at a Crossroads series that explored the decline in Americans participating in religion. More than 1/4 of Americans claim no religious affiliation.

• The Biden administration issued pardons for U.S. military service personnel who were kicked out of the service because they were LGBTQ. The pardon will affect about 2000 people who will have to apply for a certificate to receive withheld benefits.

• A new drug taken only twice a year could prevent HIV infection. It could have far-reaching impacts, especially in lower-income countries that are facing rising new infection rates.

• A new study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health showed a rise in infant mortality in Texas after extreme restrictions on abortion were put in place. The research found a significant increase in infant deaths, much higher than the rest of the country.

• The Iowa Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s decision to block a ban on abortion at six weeks. The ruling will ban all abortion after six weeks allowing for exceptions for rape, incest, and when the medical procedure is necessary to save the life of the mother.

• The Biden administration extended temporary protected status to 300,000 Haitians already living in to the U.S. due to the crisis in Haiti. Haitians can stay in the United States for 6-18 months with the possibility of an extension.

• The former Uvalde School District police chief, Adrian Gonzales, was charged with 10 counts of abandoning and endangering' Robb Elementary survivors. The indictment alleges that despite having time to respond to the shooting, Gonzales failed to act to impede the gunman and failed to follow active shooter training by not advancing toward the gunfire.

• Two astronauts who traveled on a Boeing space craft will have to say in the international space station for several more weeks as engineers troubleshoot problems with Boeing’s new space capsule.

By the Numbers