ABC is a major broadcast network with a mainstream morning show, variety and talk programing during the day, straight news program in the early evening, and a wide range of primetime offerings.
Major Event Broadcasts
ABC airs extensive coverage of all major political and newsworthy events, including primary debates, general election debates, Presidential speeches, press conferences, and election nights.
The amount of time ABC spends covering any major event depends on how important it is. For example, a general election debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees will get brief coverage before and after the event while a hastily announced Presidential press conference may only receive minimal coverage outside of the event itself.
When there is a major debate, ABC will bring together a team of journalists and political pundits to discuss what they think will happen during the debate and then bring them back on the air to discuss how they felt the debate went at the conclusion of the event.
ABC also hosts exclusive primetime townhalls with major political candidates and other top personalities. Those are almost exclusively hosted by Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos,
Election night coverage is hosted by lead anchors George Stephanopoulos, David Muir and Linsey Davis with Jonathon Karl, Mary Bruce, Tom Llamas, Nate Silver, Devin Dwyer, Matthew Dowd, Chris Christie, Rahm Emmanuel, Yvette Simpson, Heidi Heitkamp, and others offering commentary and updates throughout the evening.
Morning Broadcasting
Good Morning America is ABC's premiere morning show. The show, hosted by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Michael Stahan, among others, spends two hours each morning discussing major news of the day along with more lighthearted segments. The hosts interview major players in the political and entertainment world.
Primetime Broadcasting
ABC's flagship news program is World News Tonight With David Muir. It is a straight news program that discusses the major stories happening on a given day in the United States and throughout the world.
Sunday Morning Broadcasting
ABC's Sunday Morning political affairs program is This Week With George Stephanopoulos. The hour long program is split between interviews with major political players in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country and panel discussions with political pundits representing a broad spectrum of the political landscape.
The third and final Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was held at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Both candidates were allowed to answer moderator Kristen Welker's initial questions for two minutes uninterrupted, as a new feature allowed opponent's mics to be muted during that timeframe. After the initial segment question, of which there were six, both candidates spoke freely. Biden and Trump addressed questions on outside interference with American elections, the economy, national security, the ongoing pandemic, healthcare, climate change and tax plans if elected. Final question was about Leadership. This debate was far more civil than their first.
Oct 07 2020
Wed
Salt Lake City, UT
Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence faced off at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City for their first and only debate. A couple memorable moments are when the moderator accidently referred to Senator Harris as Kamala Harris, to which the Senator responded "that's fine. I'm Kamala" and when a fly landed on Pence's head. The two repeatedly clashed over the Trump Administrations response to multiple crises gripping the United States, with Senator Harris strongly criticizing Trump and Pence for their inability to help everyday Americans and VP Pence largely sticking to talking points in defense of Trump.
The first Presidential Debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was held in front of a small audience at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The topics debated were Biden's and Trump's records, the Supreme Court, pandemic, economy, racial unrest, and election integrity. Donald Trump constantly interrupted Joe Biden, prompting the former Vice President to ask Donald Trump "will you shut up, man?" Chris Wallace, the moderator for the evening, constantly had to chime in to ask Donald Trump to stop interrupting Joe Biden.
The 8th Democratic debate co-hosted by ABC and television station WMUR was held at St Anselm College, outside of Manchester, NH. The candidates surprisingly struck a less hostile tone than prior debates and there were even some moments of levity when Bernie Sanders was asked about a criticism by Hillary Clinton about his likability in the Senate, hoping to get some moments of disagreement, but instead Joe Biden talked about his admiration for Sanders and gave him a hug. Not all moments were light though, with multiple candidates questioning Pete Buttigieg about his inability to break through with non-white voters and Biden sharply criticizing Sanders over gun control.
The third Democratic debate in Houston brought the top ten candidates in the Democratic field onto the same stage for the first time and there was no shortage of lively discussion among the group. The top three candidates - Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders - stuck largely to their typical script, with neither of them delivering any major blows, to the likely relief of Joe Biden. The remaining seven candidates received ample time to deliver their message and answer questions from the moderators, but none appeared to deliver a breakout performance that would shake the top of the field up.