Neither side is happy with "Today" show host

Democrats and Republicans seemed to agree on one thing after NBC’s presidential town hall Wednesday: Matt Lauer was an awful moderator.

If the mark of journalistic fairness is that people on both sides of the audience dislike you with equal vehemence, then the “Today” host was very, very fair.

Hillary Clinton supporters blasted him for not challenging Donald Trump when the Republican wrongly claimed he opposed the Iraq invasion all along. Trump’s backers said Lauer gave Clinton a pass while treating their candidate with disrespect.

Also Read: Donald Trump Slammed for Lying About Iraq War in Town Hall

“How can someone like @MLauer not set the record straight on Trump’s bogus claim of being against the war in Iraq?” asked Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler.

“Probably a good thing that @MLauer won’t be a debate moderator,” tweeted GOP pollster Frank Luntz.

“@MLauer didn’t ask Hillary about her Classified briefings & how it relates to her political commitment to not send troops to a conflict,” said Richard Grenell, a spokesman for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

“I think @MLauer was trying desperately to impress others in the press to prove he’s not just a morning show lightweight. Failed,” said Vanity Fair’s Kurt Eichenwald.

Also Read: Hollywood Democrats Nervous as Clinton-Trump Polls Tighten: 'I'm Freaked Out'

Vox blasted: “Matt Lauer totally blew it on Trump’s blatant lying about Iraq and Libya.”

Buzzfeed’s Andrew Kaczynski, who first tracked down the 2002 Howard Stern interview in which Trump expressed his support for the Iraq invasion, was more muted.

"I was totally against the war in Iraq," Trump says, saying something that is not true. Matt Lauer offers no follow up. — andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) September 8, 2016

A “Today” show representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The moment that got Lauer the most grief from Democrats came when Trump asserted that he was “totally against the war on Iraq.” Trump cited an interview with Esquire Magazine in 2004 and statements “before that” as evidence.

But Trump told Howard Stern in 2002 that he was in favor of the Iraq War.

During a radio interview, Stern asked Trump, “Are you for invading Iraq?”

Trump answered, “Yeah, I guess so.”

It was unclear why Lauer didn’t bring up the Stern interview — though Clinton herself had said that Trump was dishonest when he said he opposed the invasion all along.

Trump and Clinton appeared separately at the forum, which was organized by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and broadcast on NBC and MSNBC.

Here are more reactions to Lauer’s performance:

Seriously — everyone, and I mean everyone, knew this would happen. And Matt Lauer didn't have a followup planned? https://t.co/mm5ufZKjEx — Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) September 8, 2016

Watching DT spew his lies and never answer any questions, and Matt Lauer never holding him accountable for anything was sickening. — Rob Reiner (@robreiner) September 8, 2016

Matt Lauer, you’re fired. — John Aravosis (@aravosis) September 8, 2016

You can’t just let Trump tell obvious, widely-debunked lies in interviews https://t.co/I1bnTbMN3i — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) September 8, 2016

Honestly, I don't trust my reaction here. I think @Mlauer was much more adversarial to Clinton than Trump. Thoughts? — Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) September 8, 2016

Really enjoying every single other human realizing that Matt Lauer is The Absolute Worst. https://t.co/G0lEOwRp5G — Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) September 8, 2016

Maybe you could mention that to your colleague, Matt Lauer. https://t.co/LGggl40N5K — Paul Begala (@PaulBegala) September 8, 2016

How can someone like @MLauer not set the record straight on Trump's bogus claim of being against the war in Iraq? — Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) September 8, 2016

"I was totally against the war in Iraq," Trump says, saying something that is not true. Matt Lauer offers no follow up. — andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) September 8, 2016

.@MLauer dude what happened — Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) September 8, 2016

@MLauer I lost ALL respect for you tonight,you kept interrupting,

Hillary,and let that ass Trump just blather on! — Nia Imani-Diarra (@Adeepsis52) September 8, 2016

I think Matt Lauer @MLauer was trying desperately to impress others in the press to prove he's not just a morning show lightweight. Failed. — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) September 8, 2016

Matt Lauer was treating Trump the same way a disinterested parent reacts to their babbling child. "Yup. Mhmm. That's nice." — Jeff (@nudojudo) September 8, 2016

@MLauer disappointed in your performance — Damaron (@ShanDixy) September 8, 2016

Pathetic job from Matt Lauer… https://t.co/bUOSrcNKh8 — Elizabeth Gruber (@Bethg15918812) September 8, 2016

Also Read: Donald Trump, Rom-Com Star? Twitter Has Some Notes

@MLauer Very disappointed in your performance. — Kay Tanswell (@kaytans) September 8, 2016

@USAforTrump2016 @MLauer Lauer sucks at anything he does. Talk about lining Hillary up with questions. She knew what they were going in. — Vickie E (@BeSpotted) September 8, 2016

@TaraSetmayer @MSNBC all of this is sad. @MLauer was bought and paid for by Donald and he let him slide. Trump will be the end of humanity. — Will (@TheEditor26) September 8, 2016

So some people are pretty mad at Matt Lauer, huh? — Nate Sjol (@natesjol) September 8, 2016