David Muir and Linsey Davis: Meet the Trump-Harris Debate Moderators

ABC News, the sponsor of Tuesday’s debate, wants the evening’s stars to be the candidates onstage, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump. But two ABC journalists will play an integral role in the proceedings: the moderators, who have the difficult task of guiding a high-stakes encounter toward civility and away from chaos. Here’s who they are. David Muir Anchor, “World News Tonight” Mr. Muir, 50, is, ratings-wise, the most popular TV news personality in the country. An average of 7.4 million people watched his nightly newscast on ABC last month, according to Nielsen, beating his counterparts at NBC and CBS and dwarfing cable stars like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Fox News’s Jesse Watters. Mr. Muir has previously interviewed both candidates and moderated four primary debates (three Democratic, one Republican). But he is not known as a political specialist. His big break came as a weather correspondent for “Good Morning America,” and he has reported from several war zones. Mr. Muir has taken pains to present himself as nonpartisan over the years. According to his aides, Mr. Trump, who has sat for interviews with Mr. Muir on several occasions, has praised the anchor’s chiseled appearance as out of central casting for a network newsman. Mr. Trump chose Mr. Muir to conduct his first major TV interview after taking office in 2017. Linsey Davis Sunday anchor, “World News Tonight” Ms. Davis, 46, has a lower public profile than Mr. Muir. She moderated two Democratic primary debates during the 2020 campaign season, but like Mr. Muir, she is also a generalist anchor. In 2019, Ms. Davis had a memorable exchange with Ms. Harris at an ABC debate in Houston. The anchor noted that Ms. Harris had tacked to the left on criminal justice issues like the legalization of marijuana and outside investigations of police. “When you had the power, why didn’t you try to effect change then?” Ms. Davis asked, to applause from the audience. Ms. Harris defended her record and said her plan had been praised by activists as “bold and comprehensive.” Five years later, Ms. Harris has sought to revive her image as a tough-on-crime prosecutor. Michael M. Grynbaum writes about the intersection of media, politics and culture. He has been a media correspondent at The Times since 2016. More about Michael M. Grynbaum 2024 Elections: News, Polls and Analysis