MAGA Furious Over Donald Trump, Joe Biden Debate: 'Rigged'

Furious MAGA supporters are saying CNN's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is rigged, more than a month before the show airs.

Trump fans have come out in droves against the format, to be moderated by the news channel's journalists Jake Tapper and colleague Dana Bash, scheduled for June 27. Tapper has been a persistent critic of Trump, branding his White House term a "long national nightmare." A second debate has been lined up for ABC in September.

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara said Wednesday on Fox News: "It's rigged so heavily in Joe Biden's favor but everything always is. You've got Hollywood against Donald Trump, you've got the music industry against Donald Trump, mainstream media and even the judicial system at this point."

Multiple other supporters have also made the allegation, including financial services professional @Pro__Trading, who often posts pro-Trump and pro-Conservative content online. He says on X, formerly Twitter: "The majority of the country already knows CNN is in the tank for Joe Biden and the debate will be rigged to favor him. But I think many people out there are underestimating how impressive it will be for Donald Trump to do the debate anyway."

Another, @dstedham511, who dubs himself a "patriot keyboard warrior," writes: "The debates are going to be a complete s**t show. Trump should not allow fraud Biden and fake CNN set debate conditions. Just like the elections the debates are going to be rigged."

Similarly, Colonel Robert Sauers posts: "Biden will absolutely get the questions in advance as well as the answers. He will also have an earpiece with someone whispering in his ear. Donald Trump is being set up, but feels he can still beat Biden in a rigged debate."

Turning his attention to the debate hosts, Fox News' Sean Hannity said: "Tapper is a radical, left-wing partisan talk show host that masquerades as a journalist."

He fumed over "fake Jake" being chosen to moderate when he told Lara: "They're trying to collude—the media mob and Joe Biden. They get to dictate all the rules and Donald Trump gets no say. That's not fair."

Lara said: "The scales are always tipped against him and this is not the first time … the scales have always been tipped against Donald Trump.

"And this year more than ever. In some crazy way Sean, they've actually prepared him for this moment—because he's not afraid of anything they throw his way, he's not a typical politician, he's not more concerned with conserving his image than he is with speaking directly to the American people.

"He's blunt, he's honest and he's completely transparent and that's why the people of this country love him. So try as they might to rig this thing, he is going to come out on top."

Senator for Utah, Mike Lee, wrote on X, previously Twitter: " With CNN moderating, is it even a debate? It seems like it should be called something else.

"It'd be a far more accurate description of CNN's intentions to call it something like: 'Live From CNN: Let's Make Biden Look Presidential While Turning Trump Into A Piñata.'"

Similarly, failed Republican presidential race contender Vivek Ramaswamy posted: "Call me cynical, but why is Biden suddenly so willing to debate? It could be because he's desperate, or it could be because it's a setup.

"Keep an eye on the details of how all this comes together. You don't often see a sudden 180 like this unless there's more to the story."

The "details" Vivek and other MAGA supporters are talking about include conditions like whether a teleprompter will be allowed, regulations on notes and whether Biden, Trump and the moderators will be able to be muted.

Biden had previously said he may refuse to debate Trump, saying "it depends on his behavior."

But, after Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that he would debate "any time, any where" because debate is good for our country," Biden posted a video on X in response.

Speaking directly to the camera, Biden said: "Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020 and since then he hasn't shown up for a debate, now he's acting like he wants to debate me again.

"Well, make my day pal, I'll even do it twice—let's pick the date Donald, I hear you're free on Wednesdays."