Donald Trump repeatedly made false and deceptive claims about immigrants “consuming the pets”, his connection to Venture 2025 and the Central Park 5, amongst different matters, throughout his debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
On the first debate of this presidential election cycle in June – when Joe Biden was nonetheless the Democratic occasion’s nominee – moderators took a totally hands-off strategy to fact-checking. The sunshine moderation meant that lies and half-truths, most ceaselessly from Trump, went unchallenged throughout the primetime debate.
Listed here are the details on a few of the false claims provided throughout Tuesday’s debate.
Trump claims crime is up within the US
Donald Trump claimed that crime is method up within the US.
The details: Trump is incorrect: crime is definitely down. Knowledge from the FBI discovered that violent crime decreased throughout the Trump administration, spiking in 2020 throughout the pandemic, and persevering with to pattern downward afterwards.
Preliminary knowledge from the FBI discovered that violent crime was down 6% in 2023, and 15% within the first quarter of 2024.
Violent crime decreased all through most of Trump’s presidency, based on FBI knowledge that makes use of data supplied by legislation enforcement companies. Nevertheless, it spiked in 2020 as a result of Covid19 pandemic. It has trended downward since 2020 throughout the US, nearing pre-pandemic ranges in 2022. Preliminary FBI knowledge for 2023 reveals that violent crime general was down one other 6% that yr.
Although the info is preliminary, it contains numbers from 80% of the legislation enforcement companies within the nation.
Trump repeats a falsehood about abortion
Trump repeated one in all his traditional falsehoods: that abortions are going down within the ninth month of being pregnant.
The details: Fewer than 1% of abortions are carried out previous 21 weeks of being pregnant; when these abortions do happen, they typically happen in medical emergencies or instances of fetal anomalies.
Trump additionally urged, at a number of factors, that abortions happen after delivery. That may be infanticide, and it’s unlawful in all 50 states.
Trump denies involvement in Venture 2025
Trump denied data of Venture 2025, a 900-page plan for the aggressive rightwing overhaul of practically each facet of the federal authorities.
Venture 2025 suggests ridding the federal ranks of many appointed roles and stacking companies as a substitute with extra political appointees aligned with, and extra beholden to, Trump’s coverage prescriptions.
The details: Although Trump has tried repeatedly to distance himself from the platform, which seeks to strip away reproductive, LGBTQ+ and voting rights, his insurance policies align closely with Venture 2025.
Because the Guardian’s Rachel Leingang reported: “Trump effectively is aware of the Heritage Basis and has spoken at their occasions, and [Kevin] Roberts, Heritage’s chief, has beforehand mentioned he and Trump have talked a number of instances. Venture 2025’s authors and supporters comprise a ton of former Trump administration officers.”
Trump makes false claims about immigration
Donald Trump has spouted off quite a lot of false claims about immigration. Amongst different allegations, he mentioned immigrants are “taking on the cities … They’re stepping into violently.”
The details: That’s false. Though some US cities have seen an inflow of immigrants, most have arrived legally, with work permits or with authorization to remain whereas their instances are labored out within the courts.
There was no widespread violence in these cities and, general, immigrants are much less prone to commit crimes than the US-born based on a number of, intensive research, together with from the conservative Cato Institute.
Trump claims immigrants are ‘consuming the pets’ in Ohio city
Trump repeated an unsubstantiated declare that immigrants are consuming pets in an Ohio city, forcing the moderator to inform him that there isn’t any proof of that.
“In Springfield, they’re consuming the canine, the people who got here in, they’re consuming the cats … they’re consuming the pets of the people who stay there. And that is what’s taking place in our nation, and it’s a disgrace,” the previous president mentioned.
The story of migrants allegedly consuming pets has circulated in rightwing media in current days and been repeated by Trump’s working mate, JD Vance.
The very facts: These are false and unsubstantiated claims.
“You convey up Springfield, Ohio, and ABC Information did attain out to town supervisor there. He instructed us there have been no credible reviews of particular claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by people throughout the immigrant neighborhood,” moderator David Muir instructed Trump.
The Springfield Information-Solar reported on Monday that police have “obtained no reviews associated to pets being stolen and eaten”.
Trump repeats 2020 election misinformation
Donald Trump repeated misinformation about the results of lawsuits contesting the 2020 election outcomes.
The previous president mentioned that “no judges checked out” lawsuits he and allies filed about irregularities within the election. “They mentioned we didn’t have standing. A technicality. Are you able to think about a system the place an individual in an election doesn’t have standing? The president of america doesn’t have standing. That’s how we misplaced,” Trump mentioned.
The details: That’s deceptive – some lawsuits have been dismissed as a consequence of a scarcity of standing – which means that those that introduced the lawsuits didn’t have a stake within the outcomes. Others have been selected benefit. Judges present in some instances that proof supplied was speculative, or failed to point out fraud.
Trump and Harris argue over the ‘finest’ or ‘worst’ financial system
Trump boasted that the US skilled its “finest” financial system underneath his administration, whereas Harris famous that he left the US with “the worst unemployment for the reason that Nice Despair”.
The very facts: They’re each incorrect – Trump by lots, and Harris by a shade.
Although unemployment spiked to its worst ranges for the reason that Nice Despair within the speedy aftermath of the pandemic, it dipped again by the point Trump left workplace.
In the meantime, Trump’s “finest financial system” line has been the bane of truth checkers since he was in workplace. “Greatest” is a really obscure time period – however by a number of measures, together with GDP, unemployment, the commerce deficit – the financial system was removed from its peak.
Listed here are some last numbers from his time period, compiled by FactCheck.org:
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The financial system misplaced 2.7m jobs. The unemployment charge elevated by 1.7 proportion factors to six.4%.
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Paychecks grew sooner than inflation. Common weekly earnings for all staff have been up 8.4% after inflation.
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After-tax company earnings went up and the inventory market set new data. The S&P 500 index rose 67.8%.
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The worldwide commerce deficit Trump promised to cut back went up. The US commerce deficit in items and companies in 2020 was the very best since 2008 and elevated 36.3% from 2016.
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The variety of folks missing medical health insurance rose by 3 million.
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The federal debt held by the general public went up, from $14.4tn to $21.6tn.
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Dwelling costs rose 27.5%, and the homeownership charge elevated 2.1 proportion factors to 65.8%.
Trump doubles down on claims concerning the exonerated Central Park 5
Donald Trump doubled down on his claims that the exonerated Central Park 5 – Black youngsters who have been arrested in reference to the rape and assault of a white feminine jogger in 1989 and convicted based mostly on police-coerced confessions.
Again then, Trump referred to as for the execution of the 5 kids. When Kamala Harris introduced up Trump’s stance, he dug in: “They pled responsible … They badly damage an individual, they killed an individual, in the end.”
The details: The 5 boys have been tried as adults and truly pleaded not responsible. And the sufferer, Trisha Meili, though virtually killed, was discovered unconscious within the park, survived and testified in court docket.
All of them have been exonerated after a convicted assassin confessed to the crime in 2002. In 2014, they have been awarded a $41m settlement.
In 1989, earlier than any of the boys had confronted trial, Trump paid a reported $85,000 to take out promoting area in 4 of town’s newspapers, together with the New York Occasions, calling for his or her execution. The headline learn: “Deliver Again the Loss of life Penalty. Deliver Again Our Police!” and above his signature Trump wrote: “I need to hate these muggers and murderers. They need to be compelled to undergo and, once they kill, they need to be executed for his or her crimes. They have to function examples in order that others will assume lengthy and exhausting earlier than committing against the law or an act of violence.”
This text was modified on 11 September 2024 to clarify that, opposite to Trump’s claims, the Central Park 5 pleaded not responsible at trial, and the sufferer within the case survived.
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