A post shared on X allegedly shows a “leaked ABC debate memo” urging ABC News moderators to question and fact check former President Donald Trump but not Vice President Kamala Harris during the most recent presidential debate.

So @ABC Management. you want a “DEI Woman” to run the United States of America … BUT … you don’t believe she can handle a debate about her philosophy?

Do I have that right?@DavidMuir @LinseyDavis, do we read this memo correctly?

If she can’t handle a debate with a fellow… pic.twitter.com/mqG9OKTq5I

— C-Reason🇺🇸 (@CreasonJana) September 12, 2024

Verdict: False

The claim is baseless. It originates from a satirical account.

Fact Check: 

Trump made a post saying that he will not be doing a third debate with Harris, believing he was the “victor” of the previous debate, according to The Guardian. The senior advisor for the Harris campaign responded to the news with a post that reads, “At long last we discover his spirit animal: The Chicken,” the outlet reported.

An image shows a screenshot of a post from an account titled “News That Matters” that purportedly shows a memo from ABC News stating that Harris should be treated differently because she is “Woman of Color.”

Bearing the company’s logo, the alleged memo reads, “Management reminds you: we are a culturally sensitive newsroom. We want the moderators and staff to recognize the cultural power dynamics in this debate. Donald Trump is a white male. Kamala Harris is a Woman of Color,” the memo reads, then urging staff to treat the debate as a “DEI hire.”

It goes on to say Trump should be “questioned and fact-checked in real time” while Harris should be treated “as a Black female, not Asian-American.” The memo ends with a reminder that “the only way to fight racism is to be racist.” (RELATED: Kamala Harris Capital Gains Tax Rate Proposal Would Only Apply To Those Earning Over $1 Million)

“So @ABC Management. you want a ‘DEI Woman’ to run the United States of America … BUT … you don’t believe she can handle a debate about her philosophy?” the caption reads, in part.

This is not a genuine memo from ABC News, however. The image originates from an X account called News That Matters, which is satirical. The account’s bio reads, in part, “We’re The Foul Mouthed, Bourbon Drinking Satirical Right.” The account also has a pinned post that reads, “REPORT A new study shows that a shocking number of American adults have trouble spelling the word ‘satire,’ let alone recognizing it.”

REPORT

A new study shows that a shocking number of American adults have trouble spelling the word “satire,” let alone recognizing it pic.twitter.com/Ojr6HhtofB

— News That Matters (@ThatmattersNews) August 17, 2022

Check Your Fact has reached out to an ABC News spokesperson for comment.