(Image via Screenshot)
The moderators of the second presidential debate in St. Louis, Mo., on Sunday challenged Donald Trump throughout the event, beginning with the Republican presidential candidate’s most recent scandal.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC News’ Martha Raddatz each interrupted, cut off, and pressed Trump on several occasions.
On the subject of the 2005 video that emerged on Friday of Trump having a vulgar exchange about kissing, groping, and seducing women, Cooper not only asked Trump to respond to his remarks, but went so far as to ask him to say “for the record” that he has not committed sexual assault.
“So, for the record, you’re saying you’ve never did that?” he asked. “Have you ever done those things?”
After Clinton had a chance to criticize Trump for the video, Trump sought to respond, as each candidate is allotted two minutes to do so.
Raddatz cut Trump short:
During a heated exchange over Clinton’s use of a private email server as President Obama’s secretary of state, Anderson told Trump to let Clinton speak.
“Please allow her to respond,” Anderson interjected.
“She doesn’t talk when you talk,” he added.
Trump later pushed back, calling out Cooper for not bringing up Clinton’s email scandal.
"I'd like to know, why aren't you bringing up the emails?" Trump asked Cooper.
Raddatz got into it with Trump over his proposed ban on Muslims.
Trump said that the Muslim ban has “morphed” into a policy of “extreme vetting.”
The ABC News reporter interrupted Trump’s explanation, asking, “Why did it morph into that?”
“Answer the question,” she pressed.
“Why are you interrupting me all the time?” Trump asked.
“Please explain whether or not the Muslim ban still stands," Raddatz replied.
Trump later criticized the moderators after Clinton had over two minutes to respond to a question on Syria.
"She went over a minute over and you don't stop her," he said. "When I go one second over, it's like?"
This isn't the first time moderators overstepped their role.
During the first presidential debate, Trump was repeatedly challenged by CBS moderator Elaine Quijano.