In a recent Fox News town hall, moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum refrained from challenging former President Donald Trump as he repeatedly and falsely claimed that Democrats support “killing babies after birth.” The town hall, titled “Democracy 2024: Iowa Town Hall with Former President Donald Trump,” witnessed Trump making unfounded assertions without facing correction from the hosts. When discussing abortion, Trump perpetuated the false narrative, linking it to his role in addressing Roe v. Wade. Despite the blatant misinformation, neither Baier nor MacCallum intervened to correct the record. Trump asserted, “Remember, they are the radicals. We are not the radicals. Because they will kill a baby.”
He continued spreading the falsehood that Democrats are “willing to kill the baby in eight months, nine months, or even after birth.” Despite the dubious nature of these claims, Baier and MacCallum allowed Trump to continue without offering any fact-checking or challenging the inaccuracies presented. ( 📈 Donald Trump Faces Significant Trouble Due to Statements from His Attorney ) The former president concluded by highlighting his perceived accomplishment in addressing the abortion issue and expressed confidence that people would be pleased with the outcome. ( 📺 Trump Suffers Massive Blow as New York Judge Slaps Him With Heavy Fine in Today’s Ruling )
The failure of the Fox News moderators to challenge Trump’s baseless assertions raises concerns about the role of media outlets in ensuring the accuracy of information during high-profile events. In this instance, the lack of fact-checking allowed false claims to go unaddressed, potentially contributing to the perpetuation of misinformation among viewers.
“So, we are going to come up with something that people want and people like. I would love you to — first of all, you have to go with your heart, OK? You have to go with your heart first. Go with your heart, your mind, go with it. But you do also have to put in there a little bit. You have to win elections. But, if it weren’t for me with Roe v. Wade, you wouldn’t be talking about this subject — you wouldn’t be asking that question because (inaudible).
And remember this, they are the radicals. We are not the radicals. Because they will kill a baby. Remember, I had the debate with crooked Hilary Clinton. I don’t call her crooked anymore; I use it now for Joe Biden, as you know.
(LAUGH)
TRUMP: I call her beautiful Hilary. She is a beautiful woman. But…
(LAUGH)
TRUMP: But, in the debate with Hilary Clinton, I said, you know, she is willing to rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month. And you know, I never heard this — it happened to me. It just came to me during that debate. (wrestling-edge.com) I didn’t go up there thinking I was going to say that. And she even winced. Nobody wants to see that happening after a certain period of time, nobody. They are the radicals because they are willing to kill the baby in eight months, nine months, or even after birth.
If you remember, the former governor of Virginia where he said, you kill the baby after the ninth month or even after you’ve set the baby aside and you have a conversation with the mother. And if the conversation, can you image — but these are the radicals. We are not the radicals. We are not the radicals. But we are living in a time when there has to be a little bit of a concession, one way or another.
And I think I want to get — I want to get it right. I have to get it right. (mediaite.com) But without what I did, you would never even be asking that question because there was no chance that that was going to happen. For 54 years, they campaigned on that issue and nobody pulled it off, but me. So, I think you are going to be happy in the end.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
BAIER: Thank you very much.
