Fact-Check Summary of Trump and Harris’ Debate Claims/ Newslooks/ Washington/ During the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, multiple claims were fact-checked, with both candidates providing misleading or exaggerated statements. Trump made several false or inflated claims, while Harris’ statements were generally accurate, though some lacked context.
Key Takeaways:
- Trump’s Economic Claims: Overstated economic growth under his presidency compared to Clinton and Reagan.
- Manufacturing Jobs: Harris cited accurate job creation numbers under Biden but did not fully acknowledge pandemic-related job losses during Trump’s term.
- Inflation Rates: Trump exaggerated Biden-era inflation, omitting the context of historical inflation rates, which were higher in the 1980s.
- Project 2025: Trump distanced himself from the controversial plan, although it was crafted by his allies.
- Abortion Claims: Trump falsely suggested that Democrats support infanticide, which is not legally or factually supported.
- Tax and Spending: Trump’s tax plans would significantly increase the deficit, as Harris claimed, but Harris’ own plans would also expand the deficit.
- Immigration and Crime: Trump exaggerated migrant numbers and falsely linked migrants to rising crime rates.
- Voting by Noncitizens: Trump falsely claimed Democrats want to allow noncitizens to vote.
- Crime Rates: Contrary to Trump’s statement, violent crime has been declining after a pandemic-era spike.
- Pet Eating Rumors: Trump repeated a debunked rumor about immigrants eating pets in Ohio.
- Election Fraud Claims: Trump continued to insist the 2020 election was stolen, despite no evidence to support this.
Fact-Check Summary of Trump and Harris’ Debate Claims
During the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, many familiar claims resurfaced, with both candidates making some false or misleading statements. Here’s a breakdown of notable claims and their fact-check results:
1. Trump’s Economic Record
- Claim: Trump stated he created “one of the greatest economies” in U.S. history.
- Fact: This is exaggerated. Economic growth under Trump was slower than under Presidents Clinton and Reagan. His best year saw 3% growth in 2018, far below the 4% growth during Clinton’s term.
2. Harris on Manufacturing Jobs
- Claim: Harris claimed 800,000 manufacturing jobs were created under Biden and that Trump lost jobs.
- Fact: The number of manufacturing jobs increased by 739,000 under Biden, close to Harris’ figure. However, the pandemic caused a temporary decline during Trump’s term.
3. Inflation Claims
- Claim: Trump said Biden’s presidency led to the highest inflation “in history.”
- Fact: Inflation did peak at 9.1% under Biden in 2022, but historical inflation periods, such as the 14% rate in 1980, were higher.
4. Project 2025
- Claim: Harris asserted Trump would implement Project 2025, a controversial Republican plan.
- Fact: Trump said he wasn’t familiar with the plan, though many of his allies helped craft it.
5. Abortion and “After Birth” Claims
- Claim: Trump claimed Democrats, including Harris’ running mate, support executing babies after birth.
- Fact: This is false. No U.S. state allows infanticide, and such claims are misleading.
6. Trump’s Tax Plan
- Claim: Harris said Trump’s tax plans would explode the deficit.
- Fact: An analysis by the Penn-Wharton Budget Model found Trump’s plans would increase the deficit by $5.8 trillion over ten years, more than Harris’ plan.
7. Migrants and Crime
- Claim: Trump exaggerated the number of migrants crossing the border and said they were criminals.
- Fact: His figures were inflated. Border arrests since Biden took office number around 7.1 million, but this includes many repeat crossers. There’s no clear evidence linking migrants to a crime wave.
8. Voting by Noncitizens
- Claim: Trump accused Democrats of trying to get noncitizens to vote.
- Fact: Voting by noncitizens is illegal, rare, and highly monitored.
9. Trump on Crime Rates
- Claim: Trump stated that crime is “through the roof.”
- Fact: Crime surged during the pandemic, but violent crime has since been on a downward trend.
10. Rumors of Immigrants Eating Pets
- Claim: Trump repeated a false rumor that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets.
- Fact: There’s no credible evidence supporting this claim.
11. Jobs Under Biden
- Claim: Trump claimed Biden’s administration faked 818,000 jobs created.
- Fact: Trump misrepresented the routine job revision process conducted annually by the Labor Department.
12. National Guard on Jan. 6
- Claim: Trump said Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected his offer for 10,000 National Guard troops during the Capitol riot.
- Fact: Pelosi does not control the National Guard, and there is no evidence that such an offer was made.
13. Afghanistan Withdrawal
- Claim: Trump said the U.S. left $85 billion of military equipment in Afghanistan.
- Fact: That figure is inflated. The actual equipment left behind was valued at much less.
14. Trump’s 2020 Election Loss
- Claim: Trump insisted again that the 2020 election was stolen.
- Fact: No credible evidence supports this claim, and numerous legal reviews confirmed Biden’s victory.
These fact-checks highlight both candidates’ tendencies to overstate their positions, though Trump was found to have made several inflated or outright false claims during the debate.
