Trump claims debate moderator Anderson Cooper will be ‘very biased’ against him
Anderson Cooper (Nicholas Hunt/Getty)
Donald Trump has called for the first ever out Presidential debate moderator to be dropped because he thinks he is “very biased”.
Earlier this month the Commission on Presidential Debates announced the planned line-up for Presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and Vice Presidential candidates Tim Kaine and Mike Pence.
Mr Cooper will moderate the second in the line-up of presidential debates, on October 9 at Washington University in St. Louis. He will be joined by Martha Raddatz of ABC News.
The announcement marks the first time that an openly gay moderator has been selected for an official presidential debate.
But in a rant today, Mr Trump attacked the moderator and claimed that Cooper is “biased” against him.
He fumed to the Washington Post: “I don’t think Anderson Cooper should be a moderator, because Anderson Cooper works for CNN.
“He’ll be very biased, very biased. I don’t think he should be a moderator.
“I’ll participate, but I don’t think he should be a moderator.”
“CNN is the Clinton News Network, and Anderson Cooper, I don’t think he can be fair.”
Mr Cooper recently revealed that he takes impariality so seriously that doesn’t even cast a vote in the election.
He told Howard Stern: “I don’t think I’m going to vote… I don’t think reporters should vote.
He continued: “A lot of reporters don’t vote. It’s a thing.
“I’ve had the debate. There have been years where I have voted because sometimes I thought maybe I should.
“I’ve gone back and forth on it. I don’t want to be influenced one way or the other.”
He continued: “I believe people should vote, but my role is to ask questions.
“I don’t like feeling like I’ve taken a stand. I think it’s something you actively need to fight against [as a reporter].”
Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton will face off for the first time on September 26, in a debate chaired by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in New York.
