CNN and ABC News are the two homes for 2024 presidential debates, thus far. And while he won’t be moderating, George Stephanopoulos has shared the one question he’d ask the candidates, namely former President Donald Trump.
While discussing the debates on CNN with primetime host Abby Phillip, the ABC News anchor says the questions asked of Trump will be a litmus test for the state of American journalism.
“I’ve made it a point — if they will not accept those facts, I don’t go on to other issues. I’m not going to participate in some kind of a sham where you somehow equate the legitimacy of an election or the peaceful transfer of power with a debate over tax cuts or environmental regulation,” said Stephanopoulos.
“If you can’t pass that fundamental threshold of saying, ‘Yes, the last election was not stolen. Two, I will abide by the results of the next election,’ then I think that’s all voters and viewers need to know. If you’re willing to lie about something as big as that, why should anything else they want to talk about be given any credence?”
Phillip then asked what Stephanopoulos thought the most important question to ask was.
“’Who won the last election?’ Very simple,” he replied. “‘Who won the last election?’ Let’s discuss and debate.”
Neither Abby Phillip nor George Stephanopoulos were tabbed by their respective outlets as debate moderators. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate CNN’s debate. David Muir and Linsey Davis will present questions to President Biden and former President Trump in the September event for ABC News.
