Jerry Springer Suggests First Presidential Debate Was A New Low For Television
In a new interview, famous television personality Jerry Springer suggested that the first debate of the 2020 presidential election was a new low for television, The Hill reported on Wednesday.
The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden took place on September 29.
“Several years ago TV Guide honored me by naming The Jerry Springer Show the worst show in the history of television,” Springer said.
“After watching Tuesday night’s debate, the torch has now been passed.”
The debate was widely-panned, with pundits describing it as unwatchable. CNN’s Jake Tapper called it a “hot mess inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,” while MSNBC host Rachel Maddow described Trump’s performance as a “monstrous cavalcade of increasingly wild and obscene lies.”
Trump and Biden repeatedly attacked, insulted and interrupted each other. At one point, seemingly tired of all the interruptions, Biden told the commander-in-chief to “shut up, man.”
Per The New York Times, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, who moderated the debate, later admitted that it went “off the tracks,” and suggested that Trump was largely to blame.
Following the chaotic event, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced that it will be changing the rules for future debates between the two men. One possibility among several being discussed is to give the moderators the power to mute candidates’ microphones.
C-SPAN’s Steve Scully will moderate the next Trump-Biden debate, which is expected to resemble a town hall, with voters asking many of the questions. Kristen Welker of NBC News will moderate the final face-off between the two candidates.
As The Hill noted, Vice President Mike Pence and Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, will face off on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.
According to Springer, the vice presidential debate could be more civil.
“I figure this debate is bound to be more enlightening than last week’s since CNN has not yet asked for my ‘BLEEP’ button,” he said.
Springer, who hosted the eponymous tabloid talk show from 1991 to 2018, said that the debate between Pence and Harris may be “the most consequential” in American history because of Trump’s health.
Trump tested positive for coronavirus days after debating Biden.
There were concerns that Trump may have exposed Biden to COVID-19. However, in a tweet last week, Biden revealed that both he and his wife, Jill, have tested negative.
Wallace, meanwhile, praised the CPD for imposing social distancing rules.
“The debate commission had decided there would be no opening handshake, and thank God for that,” he said.
