55 suspect claims, mostly Trump's, in the presidential debate In their first and perhaps only presidential debate in the 2024 election on Tuesday, a defensive former president Donald Trump relied on many of his favorite falsehoods to combat attacks from Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris stretched the truth on occasion, but she was no match in the falsehood department against Trump. We examined 55 claims that caught our interest, including: - "Economists have said that that Trump sales tax would actually result, for middle-class families, in about $4,000 more a year."--Harris (In dispute — this may be a high estimate.)
- "I have no sales tax. That's an incorrect statement." — Trump (False, economists agree Trump's sweeping tariff plan would be paid by consumers.)
- "We have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums." — Trump (False, this is fantasy.)
- "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats."—Trump (False, Trump is regurgitating fake viral online content.)
- "I made that very clear in 2020, I will not ban fracking." — Harris (Not quite — she was citing Joe Biden's policy.)
To read the full fact check, please click the link. Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here. Did you hear something fact-checkable? Send it here; we'll check it out. Fact-checking GOP Trump fliers flooding swing-state mailboxes If you're a swing-state voter, your mailbox has probably been flooded with fliers, especially on behalf of Donald Trump's campaign. We've been collecting examples of Trump fliers and, though they are underwritten by different state Republican parties, they often have virtually the same language. Typically, on one side, there's a defense — Vice President Kamala Harris is telling "lies" about Trump and Project 2025. On the other side, there's an attack — 10 policies proving Harris is "failed, weak and dangerously liberal." As a reader guide, we provided an assessment made of the claims in the mailers, including: - As San Francisco district attorney, Harris: "Shielded convicted crack dealers suspected of being illegal immigrants from federal immigration officials." (False — Harris was not involved in this case and supported a change in the policy, which was determined by the city attorney.)
- As California attorney general, Harris: "Categorized rape of an unconscious person, human trafficking involving sex acts with minors, assault with a deadly weapon and more as 'nonviolent' crimes, allowing inmates who committed those offenses to receive earlier parole." (False — At issue is Proposition 57, a 2016 referendum promoted by then Gov. Jerry Brown (D) that allowed people convicted of nonviolent felonies to be considered for early release parole. Brown said definitions of nonviolent crimes were not changed. Harris did not take a position on the referendum, which was approved by 64 percent of voters.)
To read the full fact check, click the link below. We're always looking for fact-check suggestions. You can reach us via email, Twitter (@GlennKesslerWP and @AdriUsero) or Facebook. We're also on TikTok. Read about our process and rating scale here, and sign up for the newsletter here. About the cats: It's a Friday and sometimes our fact checks deal with heavy subjects. So we hope to bring a smile to your face. Scroll down to read other fact checks related to the election campaign |
Email
