What is being seen as one of the biggest presidential debates in recent history is about to get the Disney treatment, and X/Twitter users can’t quite comprehend it. While the debate between current Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is already set to be broadcast on dozens of platforms, many have just discovered that it will also be live-streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Naturally, it did not take long for people on social media to share their views on what was instantly and ironically dubbed a “Mickey Mouse debate.”
At 9pm (ET) on Tuesday, the two candidates with the potential to become one of the most powerful leaders in world politics will come face-to-face ahead of the upcoming November election that will either see Harris make history as the first female president in U.S. history, or put Donald Trump back in the power seat in what would be the most unexpected comeback since…well, probably July actually, when Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU return was confirmed. For those who are interested in avoiding network TV or other streams, Hulu and Disney+ have an alternative viewing platform for you, and will be hoping that the huge interest in the clash can convert to an easy viewership win.
According to What’s On Disney+, there is a nice little blurb for those who, somehow, don’t know what this particular broadcast is about. It reads:
“Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – ABC News Presidential Debate” airs Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 9:00 p.m. EDT, live on ABC and streams live on the 24/7 streaming network ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will be simulcast.“World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir and “World News Tonight” Sunday anchor and ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis will serve as moderators.”
People Can’t Quite Understand the Presidential Debate Streaming on Disney+
Of course, ABC is a division of the Walt Disney Company, so it is perhaps not surprising that they want to ensure they capture as many viewers as possible (despite the debate already being broadcast…everywhere). Many have still been quick to air their surprise about the live-stream’s location on Disney+ as well as Hulu, leading to a varied mix of reactions.
While some conversations quickly turned to all-out arguments over who will win, who won’t win, and why anyone should care one way or the other, there were many who just stuck to roasting both Disney and the debate itself in usual social media fashion.
Among the comments, @SamirParvez summarized many opinions on the back of DiscussingFilm’s post about the broadcast, commenting, “Damn, it’s a real DiscussingFilms tweet not the parody.” This was accompanied by @Buffys, who said, “Disney is always traumatizing kids.” On the back of this, @dhanabalan621 mused, “Ah yes, when I think of Disney I think of the presidential election.”
Some people have predicted that the debate will generate the kind of viewership that is usually reserved for Marvel or Star Wars premieres – or, these days, a complete box office dud on its Disney+ debut – but others just wanted to know whether Mickey and friends would be turning up to moderate the event. @MovieManKev went above and beyond when commenting that the whole thing is “just goofy.”
You can find all of these comments, and many, many more in responses to the original post. In the meantime, we can expect social media opinions on the debate itself, and in particular who “wins”, to last long after the broadcast ends. In the end, though, we already know the real winner before either Harris or Trump utters a word – that would be the Walt Disney Company.
For those who are not in any way interested in the debate, Hulu has you covered for that as well, with new episodes of
Only Murders in the Building
and
English Teacher
dropping today.