Women’s Group Says Presidential Debate Commission Must Do More to Hold Trump Accountable, Safeguard Kristin Welker From Racist, Sexist Abuse from Trump
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, October 22, 2020
CONTACT: Anya Silverman-Stoloff | anya@unbendablemedia.com
Women’s Group Says Presidential Debate Commission Must Do More to Hold Trump Accountable, Safeguard Kristin Welker From Racist, Sexist Abuse from Trump
UltraViolet Calls on Commission to Expand Mic Muting into Full Program and Put the Debates on Time Delay, Allowing News Outlets to Correct Trump Falsehoods Before Lies to the American People
WASHINGTON, DC — Tonight, the final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden will air at 9PM ET. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced a rule change earlier this week that will grant each candidate two minutes to deliver uninterrupted remarks before proceeding to an open debate. NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker will moderate.
But, Bridget Todd, communications director at Ultraviolet, a leading national women’s advocacy group, warned that will not be enough:
“Let’s be clear – the only way to ensure that Donald Trump does not completely disregard debate rules, the moderator, his opponent and spread more deadly lies on the national stage is by cutting his mic in real time, no matter when it happens during the debate.
“As the pandemic surges again and millions face unemployment, white nationalist violence rises unchecked, and climate disasters looming or occurring – Black, Indigenous, and women of color are bearing the brunt of these crises.
“Too many lives are on the line– and we cannot allow Donald Trump to pollute our discourse with toxic disinformation, racist dog whistles and conspiracy theories, which continue to perpetuate hate, division and inaction.”
“Trump disrespects the independent press as a rule – but we’ve seen how when confronted by a strong woman of color like Kristin Welker, Trump becomes particularly aggressive and abusive. The American people deserve better than that.
“The Commission on Presidential Debates needs to stop trying to solve the problems from the first debate – and deal with the realities in front of them. That means, muting the mic whenever a candidate lies or putting the debates on a time delay so that the networks can provide fact-checks in real time.”
“We can and must do better.”
Throughout the course of this election cycle’s presidential debates, UltraViolet:
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Demanded the question of ‘Race and Violence,’ be stricken from the list of debate topics
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Pledged to call out any sexism or racism and take steps to disrupt bias taking hold in political coverage and voter outreach.
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Released a style guide for how to “avoid unintentional sexist and racist bias or disinformation when interviewing, writing about, or moderating content about women and people of color running for or holding political office.
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Wrote a letter signed by four Democratic presidential candidates demanding accountability from NBC for fostering a culture of toxicity and sexual harassment.
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