Matt Lauer has been met with a firestorm of criticism for his lackluster performance during his televised forum with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Wednesday. Journalists and viewers alike are taking the longtime NBC anchor to task for his handling of Trump’s portion of the event, in which he failed to pose tough questions or follow up on blatant falsehoods, such as the GOP nominee’s thoroughly debunked claim that he opposed the Iraq War before it started.
“I heard Hillary Clinton say that I was not against the war in Iraq,” Trump said during the forum. “I was totally against the war in Iraq. You can look at Esquire magazine from 2004. You can look before that.”
As many outlets, including Mother Jones, have reported, Trump did in fact support the Iraq war. Yet Lauer failed to push back, instead gliding to the next question about concerns over Trump’s “temperament.” Questions about former campaign chief Paul Manafort, whose work for a pro-Russian political party, Ukraine, and other controversial lobbying clients contributed to his recent ouster; Trump’s attacks on the Khan family; or his own military deferments were nowhere to be found.
The reactions to Lauer’s performance were swift and brutal, and resulted in the hashtag #LaueringTheBar.
Matt Lauer managed to get played by Ryan Lochte; I don’t know why y’all thought he’d actually challenge Donald Trump.
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) September 8, 2016
Matt Lauer should be an inspiration to kids. You can grow up, do mediocre work, & get paid $20m per year for it.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) September 8, 2016
So Lauer didn’t correct Trump on his record about Iraq?
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) September 8, 2016
Now we know why NBC didn’t do a two-hour commander in chief forum: It’s America’s Got Talent results show “live from Hollywood.”
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) September 8, 2016
Trump got multiple deferments, mocked POW, attacked Gold Star family. Yet Lauer doesn’t bring up at veterans event: https://t.co/1r41csEmi6
— Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) September 8, 2016
If you weren’t satisfied with Matt Lauer’s performance, please state which cast member from Sharknado 3 would’ve done a better job
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 8, 2016
This was an opportunity to vet the next leader of the US-not make a fall pizza your teen will love. #LaueringTheBar pic.twitter.com/8VEDDXVGHs
— Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) September 8, 2016
Hard to believe Matt Lauer, a human Quality Inn, was not a great moderator for a political forum
— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) September 8, 2016
How in the hell does Lauer not factcheck Trump lying about Iraq? This is embarrassingly bad.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) September 8, 2016
The silver lining is that Lauer won’t be moderating any of the upcoming presidential debates. But with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, one of the four journalists who were indeed picked, already balking at his job to be the “truth squad,” the final push to November is looking ever more excruciating.
