Former President Donald Trump repeated multiple falsehoods about immigrant crime, inflation and late-term abortions during Tuesday night’s presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris—who was also flagged by fact-checkers for making exaggerated claims about job losses under Trump.
Key Facts
- Tuesday’s debate was the first and so far only scheduled debate between Harris and Trump—although the Vice President’s team is has called for a second head-to-head, though Trump remains uncommitted.
- According to CNN’s Daniel Dale, Trump made at least 33 false claims during the Tuesday’s debate—a few of which were fact checked on stage by the ABC News moderators.
Trump’s Claim About Haitian Immigrants Eating Pets
Trump said immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were “eating the dogs…They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” repeating a false claim spread by his running mate JD Vance, several right-wing commentators and lawmakers. The claim has been debunked by Springfield law enforcement officials, who told Forbes there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.” Trump’s remarks were quickly fact-checked by moderator David Muir by citing the Springfield authorities but the former president doubled down saying he’s heard people “on television” say “my dog was taken and used for food.”
Trump’s Claim About Undocumented Voters
Trump also reiterated his baseless claims about Democrats “trying to get” undocumented migrants to vote in the election. Citing data from various sources, including the right-wing Heritage Foundation, researchers have pointed out that instances of noncitizens voting in U.S. elections are “incredibly rare” and for undocumented migrants it’s “even rarer.”
Trump’s Claims On Inflation
The former president said the inflation levels in the country are “probably the worst in our nation’s history…we were at 21%.” This is untrue. While inflation did hit a four-decade high of 9.1% in mid-2022—that is still lower than the 14% it hit in the 1980s or the 11.1% in 1974.
Trump’s Claims On Late-Term Abortions
In an attempt to paint Democrats as “radicals” on the issue of abortion, Trump falsely claimed Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, “says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine” and “execution after birth…is OK.” Moderator Linsey Davis immediately corrected the former president saying, “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.” Additionally CDC data shows abortions after 21 weeks (about five months) of gestation are exceedingly rare—accounting for less than 1% of all abortions, and KFF says most of these pregnancies are terminated before 24 weeks (six months).
Trump’s Claim That Republicans And Democrats All Wanted Roe V. Wade Overturned
Trump claimed “every legal scholar, every Democrat, every Republican, liberal, conservative, all wanted” Roe v. Wade to be overturned and the matter be brought back to the states “where the people could vote, and that’s what happened.” This is false, as several legal scholars filed briefs with the Supreme Court to preserve Roe v. Wade, and polls show a large majority of Americans disapprove of its overturning.
Trump’s Claim About Germany And Fossil Fuels
In his closing statement, the former president said fossil fuel was not going away anytime soon and then appeared to suggest that Germany failed in its efforts to switch to renewables and “within one year they were back to building normal energy plants.” This claim was directly fact checked by the German Foreign Office, which tweeted: “Germany’s energy system is fully operational, with more than 50% renewables. And we are shutting down – not building – coal & nuclear plants. Coal will be off the grid by 2038 at the latest.”
Harris’ Claim About Unemployment Under Trump
Harris falsely claimed Trump “left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.” While unemployment at the start of the pandemic when Trump was in office rose to 14.8%, its highest level since the Depression, it had fallen to 6.4% by the time Biden took over.
Harris’ Comment About Her Stance On Fracking
On the issue of fracking, Harris said she had made her stance “very clear in 2020.” This isn’t entirely correct, as in her 2020 Vice Presidential debate against Mike Pence, she only stated: “Joe Biden will not end fracking,” without specifying her own stance after favouring a ban during the Democratic primaries. In recent months, however, the vice president has said her views on fracking have changed and she no longer supports a ban.
Crucial Quote
Commentators and pundits have judged Harris the clear winner of the debate, but commenting on his debate performance on Truth Social, Trump said: “I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!” The former president later suggested the Harris camp was pushing for a second debate because “she lost so badly…It’s true with prizefighters, when they lose a fight, they immediately want another.”
This article was originally published on forbes.com.
Don’t miss the opportunity to gain exclusive insights that could shape your financial future. Join us at the Forbes Australia Icons & Investors Summit to hear directly from Australia’s top business and wealth experts. Tap here to secure your ticket.
Look back on the week that was with hand-picked articles from Australia and around the world. Sign up to the Forbes Australia newsletter here or become a member here.
