Chris Wallace Reflects on Off-the-Rails Debate on Mediaite’s The Interview Podcast: ‘Never in My Wildest Dreams’ Did I Think Trump Would Act Like That

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Mediaite’s new podcast, The Interview, debuted in August and instantly became a must-visit for the biggest names in cable news and media. This week, we’re looking back at some of the most talked-about episodes since our launch.

Chris Wallace — Mediaite’s No. 1 most influential in news media this year — had a pretty wild 2020, best exemplified by the mania of the presidential debate he moderated in late September.

Wallace has publicly acknowledged it was an absolute mess, and in speaking with Mediaite editor in chief Aidan McLaughlin, he candidly said, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think he would act the way he acted.”

He called out the Trump team for taking off their masks during the debate, flouting public health guidelines and showing “utter disregard” for others, and expressed how stunning it was to see something as basic as wearing a mask being politicized.

As for the debate itself, well, Wallace highlighted that Trump interrupted a whopping 145 times, way more than Joe Biden, and said no fair-minded person would think “they were equally to blame” for what transpired.

“Clearly the president bore primary responsibility for that.”

Wallace explained his initial instinct was to try and stay out of it, but that became untenable as the interruptions continued and he had to call out Trump directly.

McLaughlin also asked about others at Fox News who threw some shade at his handling of the debate. Wallace responded, “I don’t take it very seriously.”

For more hard-hitting conversations with the top stars in media, subscribe to Mediaite’s The Interview podcast via iTunes. And listen to the full episode with Wallace below. We’ll have more of The Interview’s highlights from 2020 throughout the week.