News Opinons Politics

‘Rigged’: Critics Cry Foul as CNN Debate Slants Against Bernie Sanders

Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are infuriated by the results of the seventh Democrat presidential debate in Iowa because it appears that moderators favored Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the debate hosted by CNN on Tuesday.

The clearest example of bias cited by debate watchers was when CNN moderator Abby Phillips had the following exchange with Sanders and Warren:

Phillips: You’re saying that you never told Senator Warren that a woman couldn’t win the election?


Bernie: Correct.

Phillips: Warren, what did you think when Sanders said a woman couldn’t win the election?

Warren: I disagreed. Bernie is my friend, and I am not here to try to fight with Bernie.


Alito rips Jackson’s ‘utterly irresponsible’ solo dissent as Supreme Court fight shakes up 2026 map
California gubernatorial hopefuls contend with back-to-back debates with finish line in sight
Climate seminars for judges face funding trail probe amid fears of outside influence on courts
Caine likens ‘kamikaze dolphin’ question to ‘sharks with laser beams’ in nod to Austin Powers movies
Florida shooting spree kills 4-month-old baby, toddler, their mother and grandmother across two scenes
Nancy Mace Names 6 Lawmakers in Bombshell Comments on Congressional Sex Scandal ‘Slush Fund’
Under-the-radar race will decide Michigan Senate control in Whitmer’s final year
Dem Chicago Alderman Wants Walgreens Charged with Crime After Store Closes Amid Rampant Theft, Violence
Oklahoma park shooting that injured nearly two dozen started over argument at unsanctioned party, police say
Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits
GOP builds huge cash edge as 2026 midterm outlook darkens
At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk
Border Patrol arrests two illegal aliens convicted of child sex offenses near San Diego in back-to-back busts
Trump opens Hormuz under fire with ‘Project Freedom’ as Iran warns of attacks

After the debate, Warren pointedly refused to shake Sen. Sanders’s hand, a puzzling move, as Warren tried to paint her relationship with the Vermont Senator as respectful and collegial.

The story kicking off the alleged claim of Sanders’ sexist remark towards Warren in 2018 was published Monday by CNN and prominently featured on their network before the debate.

Phillips followed up by asking Sen. Amy Klobuchar, “What do you say to people who say that a woman can’t win this election?”

See also  At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk

Warren did not repeat her claim against Sanders during the debate, and Phillips and other CNN moderators failed to cross-examine the Massachusetts senator’s account of what occurred during their conversation.

Warren instead pivoted into an answer that trumpeted women running successfully for elections, earning loud cheers from the debate audience.

Supporters also claim that CNN moderators focused more attention on demanding that Sen. Bernie Sanders explain how he plans to pay for his socialist programs, ignoring Warren’s proposals for similar programs.


Alito rips Jackson’s ‘utterly irresponsible’ solo dissent as Supreme Court fight shakes up 2026 map
California gubernatorial hopefuls contend with back-to-back debates with finish line in sight
Climate seminars for judges face funding trail probe amid fears of outside influence on courts
Caine likens ‘kamikaze dolphin’ question to ‘sharks with laser beams’ in nod to Austin Powers movies
Florida shooting spree kills 4-month-old baby, toddler, their mother and grandmother across two scenes
Nancy Mace Names 6 Lawmakers in Bombshell Comments on Congressional Sex Scandal ‘Slush Fund’
Under-the-radar race will decide Michigan Senate control in Whitmer’s final year
Dem Chicago Alderman Wants Walgreens Charged with Crime After Store Closes Amid Rampant Theft, Violence
Oklahoma park shooting that injured nearly two dozen started over argument at unsanctioned party, police say
Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits
GOP builds huge cash edge as 2026 midterm outlook darkens
At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk
Border Patrol arrests two illegal aliens convicted of child sex offenses near San Diego in back-to-back busts
Trump opens Hormuz under fire with ‘Project Freedom’ as Iran warns of attacks

Sanders’ campaign co-chair Nina Turner immediately pointed out CNN’s bias in a series of screenshots on Twitter.

After the debate, many of the Democrats on the CNN panel immediately declared Warren the victor of the debate, noting her strong performance.

“I think what Bernie forgot is that this isn’t a he-said, she-said story,” political consultant Jess McIntosh said after the debate. “This is a reported out story that CNN was a part of breaking, so to have him just flat out say, ‘no,’ wasn’t nearly enough for the women watching.”

See also  At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper corrected McIntosh to note that Warren’s entire accusation and Sanders’ response was basically a “he said, she said” case, as there were only two people in the meeting — Sanders and Warren.

But the rest of the panel delivered unanimous praise for Warren’s debate performance.

Campaign manager for former President Barack Obama David Axelrod said that it was Warren’s “best debate.”

“She was consistent, strong, emphatic, I think she did what she came there to do,” he said.

Political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson said that Warren had the “best plan,” the “best energy” and the “best moment” in the debate.

Even Van Jones said that “this was Elizabeth Warren’s night.”


Alito rips Jackson’s ‘utterly irresponsible’ solo dissent as Supreme Court fight shakes up 2026 map
California gubernatorial hopefuls contend with back-to-back debates with finish line in sight
Climate seminars for judges face funding trail probe amid fears of outside influence on courts
Caine likens ‘kamikaze dolphin’ question to ‘sharks with laser beams’ in nod to Austin Powers movies
Florida shooting spree kills 4-month-old baby, toddler, their mother and grandmother across two scenes
Nancy Mace Names 6 Lawmakers in Bombshell Comments on Congressional Sex Scandal ‘Slush Fund’
Under-the-radar race will decide Michigan Senate control in Whitmer’s final year
Dem Chicago Alderman Wants Walgreens Charged with Crime After Store Closes Amid Rampant Theft, Violence
Oklahoma park shooting that injured nearly two dozen started over argument at unsanctioned party, police say
Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits
GOP builds huge cash edge as 2026 midterm outlook darkens
At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk
Border Patrol arrests two illegal aliens convicted of child sex offenses near San Diego in back-to-back busts
Trump opens Hormuz under fire with ‘Project Freedom’ as Iran warns of attacks

“She knocked that moment out of the park,” Jones said, arguing that Sanders “stepped on a banana peel” during the debate.

“It was an out of the park moment for her,” said Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash after the debate, praising the “clever way” that Warren brought in Klobuchar to rally the “sisterhood” on stage.

Supporters of Bernie Sanders immediately reacted to what they saw as a rigged debate by sharing the hashtag #CNNisTrash that trended quickly on Twitter after the debate.


Alito rips Jackson’s ‘utterly irresponsible’ solo dissent as Supreme Court fight shakes up 2026 map
California gubernatorial hopefuls contend with back-to-back debates with finish line in sight
Climate seminars for judges face funding trail probe amid fears of outside influence on courts
Caine likens ‘kamikaze dolphin’ question to ‘sharks with laser beams’ in nod to Austin Powers movies
Florida shooting spree kills 4-month-old baby, toddler, their mother and grandmother across two scenes
Nancy Mace Names 6 Lawmakers in Bombshell Comments on Congressional Sex Scandal ‘Slush Fund’
Under-the-radar race will decide Michigan Senate control in Whitmer’s final year
Dem Chicago Alderman Wants Walgreens Charged with Crime After Store Closes Amid Rampant Theft, Violence
Oklahoma park shooting that injured nearly two dozen started over argument at unsanctioned party, police say
Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits
GOP builds huge cash edge as 2026 midterm outlook darkens
At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk
Border Patrol arrests two illegal aliens convicted of child sex offenses near San Diego in back-to-back busts
Trump opens Hormuz under fire with ‘Project Freedom’ as Iran warns of attacks

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter