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First Presidential Debate 2020: ‘You're no Mike Wallace!’ trends after Chris's 'biased' Trump vs Biden discourse

Amid all the bashing on the Internet, people referred to Chris' father Mike Wallace — who interviewed many newsmakers during his seven-decade career

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden faced each other in the first of three scheduled debates on September 29. Sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the first debate at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University and moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News. The 90-minute debate soon turned into a name-calling debacle and Wallace was slammed as a "disgrace" for twisting it into a three-way slugfest.

"You’re debating him, not me," Wallace told Biden at one point and during the debate, Trump and Wallace repeatedly talked over each other. "Mr President I'm the moderator of this debate and I'd like you to let me ask my question," Wallace said. "I guess I'm debating you, not him," Trump retorted back. That's not all, Wallace was also accused of debating Trump instead of asking questions and for not being able to keep the president patient as he refused to stick to his own speaking time.

Amid all the bashing on the Internet, people referred to his father, Mike Wallace — who interviewed several prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career — before he died at his residence in New Canaan, Connecticut, from natural causes on April 7, 2012, at the age of 93. "Mike Wallace might just as well have sat there holding a Vote Biden sign," one tweet read and another said, "Mike Wallace is rolling in his grave right now."

Sadly, many slammed him saying he was "no Mike Wallace and that his father would be disappointed in him. "This debate is sad! Chris Wallace is not managing this and his questions are biased. He has an agenda! You are no Mike Wallace! Revenge is a dish best served cold! Nice work Chris! you are no Tim Russert!" one Twitter user blatantly wrote. Another said, "Chris Wallace is good at one on ones, but he sucked with the force of a thousand suns tonight: shaky voice, no control, no imposition of gravitas...no Mike Wallace." One went on to say: "My mom knew Mike Wallace and if she were still alive and watching this she would say, "I knew Mike Wallace and Chris you are no Mike Wallace" - he has bombed tonight on so many levels."

Married to Norma Kaphan, Mike Wallace gave had two children with his first wife: Chris and his elder son, Peter, who died at 19 in a mountain-climbing accident in Greece. Mike and Norma divorced when Chris was one-year-old. He was raised by his mother and stepfather Bill Leonard, President of CBS News. Meanwhile, Mike Wallace then married Patrizia "Buff" Cobb, the stepdaughter of Gladys Swarthout. Together from 1949 to 1954, the pair hosted the 'Mike and Buff Show' on CBS and 'All Around Town'. 

The two presidential candidates spoke on the following topics: 'The Trump and Biden Records', 'The Supreme Court', 'Covid-19', 'The Economy', 'Race and Violence in our Cities' and 'The Integrity of the Election'. Each segment lasted about 15 minutes after the moderator opened with a question.

Set for 9 pm ET, the 90-minute debate was televised on channels including CNN, Fox News, CBS, ABC, C-SPAN, NBC and MSNBC without any commercial breaks.