Kamala Harris and Donald Trump engaged in their first and only presidential debate on Wednesday AEST. Here are some of the big statements – and wild claims – you missed.
Trump claims immigrants in the US are ‘eating dogs’
In a segment on immigration policy, the former president said immigrants in Ohio were “eating the pets of the people that live there”. It’s the same viral claim that Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is running with, after a user on a Springfield, Ohio, Facebook group claimed her neighbor’s daughter’s friend found her cat hung and carved from a branch at a Haitian neighbour’s home.
Springfield Police investigations commander Mike Kranz told Forbes there have been “no credible reports” of immigrants in the small Ohio city harming pets.
You can read more about that here.
‘I don’t care’: Trump brushes off previous statements on Harris’s race
Trump told moderators he doesn’t “care” how Vice President Kamala Harris identifies, before falsely saying Harris previously claimed she wasn’t Black.
“I couldn’t care less, whatever she wants to be is okay with me,” he said. Harris’ father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from South India.
You can read more about that here.
Related
Trump claims US inflation was the worst in history
While inflation has been higher than usual, it’s not the worst in history. Back in the 80s, inflation rose to more than 14% and 11.1% in 1974. (It peaked at a four-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022 under the Biden administration, but has since fallen to 2.9% year-over-year as of July, the lowest level since March 2021).
You can read more about that here.
Trump distances himself from Project 2025
The ex-president said he had “nothing to do” with Project 2025 – a controversial right-wing 900-page policy agenda linked to some of his former staffers – after Harris repeatedly referred to the project and Trump’s ties to it during the debate.
You can read more about that here.
Trump declines to veto a national abortion ban
He’s previously said he would not sign such a bill, but in today’s debate Trump did not commit to vetoing a national abortion ban.
“I’m not in favor of an abortion ban, but it doesn’t matter, because this issue has now been taken over by the states,” he said.
Harris promised to sign a law reinstating the federal right to abortion if such a law was passed by Congress.
You can read more about that here.
Trump has ‘concepts of a plan’ for Obamacare
Trump said he had no healthcare plan, but rather “concepts of a plan” for Obamacare, after repeatedly slamming the country’s Affordable Care Act and the health plan signed into law by President Obama.
“We’re looking at different plans,” Trump said. “I have concepts of a plan. I would only come up with something that’s better . . . there are concepts and options we have to do that. And you will be hearing that in the not-so-distant future.”
You can read more about that here.
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