Fox News anchor Chris Wallace will moderate the first 2020 presidential debate between Joe Biden and President Trump on Tuesday night. The selection is perfect because Wallace doesn’t favor either side.
The nation faces a great deal of political and cultural division. The stakes are high, and Wallace, an experienced newsman, won’t offer up softballs to either candidate. Wallace is the only debate moderator from 2016 making a return in 2020. That says much about his skills as a journalist and his impartiality. Biden and Trump could not be more divergent in their personalities or political ideologies. To navigate a prime-time debate successfully between the two requires someone with Wallace’s expertise.
The Left claims Wallace’s employment with Fox News disqualifies him. This is utter nonsense. On Fox News Sunday, he frequently showcases his independence, seeking the truth of the matter, wherever that may lead. He is not a cable news pundit who is more interested in making a particular politician look good. As Politico noted, former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Trump all avoided Wallace before finally meeting with the veteran newsman. And in July, Biden notably declined an interview with Wallace, a move that didn’t look good, particularly since Biden consented to interviews with Cardi B and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
It’s clear that Wallace strikes a certain level of fear into politicians of all stripes.
On the Trump-right, Wallace’s grilling of Trump during a July 2020 interview sealed his fate with the “MAGA” faithful. Wallace confronted the president over his handling of the pandemic, Trump’s claim that Biden wants to defund the police, and even Trump’s taking of a cognitive test to prove his competence. In the aftermath, Trump has made it clear he dislikes Wallace. During an interview last week with Brian Kilmeade of Fox News, Trump made his feelings about Wallace known by stating, “Chris is good, but I think I would be willing to bet that he won’t ask Biden tough questions. He’ll ask me tough questions, and it’ll show — it’ll be unfair. I have no doubt about it. But he’ll be controlled by the radical left. That’s what — they control him.”
The strange mix of fear and admiration those in the political arena have for Wallace means he is well suited for the job of moderating the first debate. Neither Biden nor Trump is particularly adept at extended and measured confrontation that exposes their weaknesses. Both avoid Wallace or criticize him for supposed unfair treatment. However, they will have to be on their game when positioned together on stage in front of a moderator whose history shows he won’t give either a pass.
It’s a tumultuous year. It’s only fair that the candidates who want to lead the nation out of the depths be subject to intense scrutiny. Debates may not change the minds of many voters. Still, debates offer a test for candidates. Chris Wallace is not only up to the task of doing just that, but he has already proved himself when the stakes were just as high.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
