Trump and Don Jr accused Fox host Chris Wallace of left-wing bias after he moderated the debate. Others say he failed to impose any order on the president.

• President Donald Trump attacked moderator Chris Wallace after his first presidential debate with Joe Biden.
• During the debate Wallace struggled to keep control, as Trump interrupted Biden and the candidates traded insults.
• The attacks were a reprise of Trump's 2016 attacks on debate moderators, whom he accused of being part of a plot to end his candidacy.

President Donald Trump and his allies are accusing Fox News host Chris Wallace, the embattled moderator of the chaotic first presidential debate, of being part of a plot to damage his reelection prospects.

In the debate, Wallace unsuccessfully attempted to impose order as Trump repeatedly interrupted Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The candidates exchanged insults, and the debate at times descended into chaos.

Trump clashed Wallace, haranguing him over questions and refusing to allow Biden time to speak, prompting Wallace to remind the president that he was moderating the debate.

Trump responded to Wallace "I guess I'm debating you not him, I'm not surprised."

In the wake of the debate, Trump shared a series of tweets criticising Wallace, a moderate voice on the pro-Trump Fox News network.

In one tweet Trump shared a meme depicting himself as competing against the combined forces of Biden and Wallace.

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2020

After the debate the president's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, spun the encounter as a victory for his father and sought to portray Wallace as part of an plot to derail his reelection campaign.

—Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) September 30, 2020

"We knew that was coming anyway with a Chris Wallace. I understand he's a Fox guy, but he's no conservative, and he's no centrist either. That's sort of the nature of this game and I think that's why my father has to play it that way," said Trump Jr in conversation with Wallace's colleague Sean Hannity, a vocal Trump supporter.

Hannity, who has appeared at Trump rallies and is used as a sounding board and informal adviser by Trump, nodded along.

The attacks are a refrain of those deployed by Trump during his 2016 campaign, when he sought to portary the moderators in his debates with then Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as biased, and part of an establishment plot to derail his insurgent candidacy.

But Wallace is taking criticism from all sides, with Democrats claiming that he allowed Trump to bully him and failed to confront the president over his attempts to derail Biden's responses to questions.

"Chris Wallace just disappearing," tweeted Ben Rhodes, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, during the debate.

Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator, tweeted: "Chris Wallace is embarrassing, and trying to pretend that the problem isn't 100% Trump."