Thursday night's performance by Welker in the final debate between President Trump and Democrat rival Joe Biden stood in stark contrast to the handling of this fall's previous debates and town hall meetings by moderators and hosts. Fox News host Chris Wallace, in particular, was pilloried for his performance in the September 29 Trump-Biden debate, after which he was blasted by Democrats for failing to take control over the conversation and ripped by Republicans for being "shamelessly biased" against Trump.

Welker was aided by a new rule under which each candidate was allowed to speak uninterrupted – with his rival's microphone muted — for two minutes leading off each of six topic segments. But even during those parts of the event where mics weren't muted, there were relatively few interruptions.

Observers such as independent journalist Tim Pool and Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney praised Welker's performance. Conservative writer Carmine Sabia went further, saying, "Kristen Welker has given a master class on how to moderate a debate fairly. Is Chris Wallace watching."

Wallace, asked his opinion during a debate-reaction panel at Fox News, said: "First of all, I'm jealous. I would have liked to have been able to moderate that debate and get a real exchange of views instead of hundreds of interruptions." 

Wallace's implication was that he wasn't given a chance to deliver a more substantive debate, but critics weren't buying that view.

"Don't be jealous, Chris, just be a moderator," one Twitter commenter said. Another said, "That's his fault. She did a great job. She was calm, collected and extremely pleasant," while still another tweeted, "Chris Wallace was just taken to class by Kristen Welker. This is how you moderate a debate. Wallace was a pinata."