Truth-checking the presidential debate between Trump and Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump confronted off of their first debate Tuesday evening, buying and selling barbs on international coverage, abortion and weapons.

Trump superior various debunked conspiracy theories associated to migration, crime and voting within the combative showdown, whereas Harris made deceptive statements about manufacturing jobs and whether or not U.S. troops are in fight zones.

This is what Harris and Trump bought proper and incorrect on the talk stage in Philadelphia.

Truth verify: Trump calls Harris’ dad a Marxist

“Her father’s a Marxist professor in economics, and he taught her effectively,” Trump mentioned.

That’s not what his college students say.

In interviews, three of Professor Donald Harris’ former college students, who are actually economists themselves, informed NBC Information that they disagreed that Harris’ father is a Marxist. Donald Harris taught at Stanford College for practically three many years till he retired in 1998, and whereas he was there, he studied Karl Marx’s financial philosophy among the many philosophies of different completely different thinkers, his college students recall. Whereas Harris has spoken about her father’s affect in her early childhood, she has credited her mom for being the mother or father who formed her into the individual she is at this time.

Truth verify: Did the U.S. depart $85 billion price of navy tools in Afghanistan?

“We wouldn’t have left $85 billion price of brand-new, lovely navy tools behind,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

The Taliban did achieve possession of U.S.-made navy tools once they retook energy in 2021, however the $85 billion determine is grossly exaggerated. It’s a rounding up of the roughly $83 billion in complete help appropriated for the Afghan navy and police through the two-decade warfare, together with coaching, tools and housing.

Based on a 2022 Defense Department report, the Taliban seized a lot of the estimated $7.12 billion in U.S.-funded tools that was within the palms of the previous Afghan authorities when it collapsed, the situation of which was unknown. The report mentioned the U.S. navy had eliminated or destroyed virtually all the main tools it was utilizing in Afghanistan within the months main as much as the U.S. withdrawal.

Truth verify: Trump claims Harris ‘needs to confiscate your weapons’

“She needs to confiscate your weapons,” Trump claimed.

That is false.

On-line posts have superior an analogous false declare. Harris has advocated for gun security legal guidelines, proposing necessities for “anybody who sells greater than 5 weapons a 12 months” to conduct background checks and for illegal gun sellers to face penalties.

Harris responded moments later: “This enterprise about taking everybody’s weapons away? Tim Walz and I are each gun house owners. We’re not taking anyone’s weapons away.”

Truth verify: Harris says Trump oversaw manufacturing job losses

“Donald Trump mentioned he was going to create manufacturing jobs. He misplaced manufacturing jobs,” Harris mentioned.

This wants context.

Earlier than the onset of the pandemic, the U.S. added about 500,000 manufacturing jobs through the Trump administration. However by the point Trump left workplace on the peak of the pandemic, the U.S. had given up just about all these beneficial properties on account of the worldwide financial devastation from the virus.

In the meantime, Trump really understated the variety of manufacturing jobs misplaced final month: It was 24,000, not 10,000.

Truth verify: Would Trump finish the Russia-Ukraine warfare by giving up Ukrainian pursuits?

“I consider Donald Trump says that this warfare could be over inside 24 hours. It’s as a result of he would simply give it up. And that’s not who we’re as Individuals,” Harris mentioned.

This wants context.

Harris’ feedback got here throughout a prolonged alternate that was kicked off when debate moderator David Muir requested Trump, “Would you like Ukraine to win this warfare?”

Trump responded by saying solely that “I would like the warfare to cease. I wish to save lives which might be being uselessly, folks being killed by the thousands and thousands.” He added that “I’ll get it settled” as a result of “what I’ll do is I’ll converse to at least one, I’ll converse to the opposite, I’ll get them collectively.”

Harris responded with the above citation and introduced up that the Biden administration had helped convey dozens of nations collectively to help Ukraine’s protection.

“Due to our help, due to the air protection, the ammunition, the artillery … that we’ve supplied, Ukraine stands as an unbiased and free nation. If Donald Trump have been president, Putin could be sitting in Kyiv proper now,” she mentioned.

Trump hasn’t publicly mentioned what his particular plan to finish the warfare could be. The Washington Post reported in April that the plan was primarily a land-for-peace deal.

Citing individuals who mentioned the plan with Trump and his advisers, the Put up reported that Trump would plan to push Ukraine to hand over control of Crimea and the Donbas area to Russia in any future deal, which might successfully formalize the beneficial properties Russian President Vladimir Putin made throughout his unlawful invasion. In alternate, the Put up reported, Putin would cease the warfare. The report attracted criticism throughout the political spectrum and from Kyiv, with many lawmakers and worldwide figures saying the deal amounted to appeasement.

No matter whether or not such a plan would ever bear fruit, Harris’ newest feedback construct on the narrative that Trump continues to hunt cozy ties with Moscow. Earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine, Trump praised Putin as “genius” and “savvy” for declaring his intention to invade. 

As well as, it’s essential to notice that Trump didn’t say in his direct response to Muir that he wished Ukraine to win within the warfare. He mentioned solely that he wished the warfare to cease.

And even when Trump received and tried to cease the warfare, U.S. and European governments say Russia has proven no signal it’s genuinely enthusiastic about any peace negotiations.

Truth verify: Harris says no U.S. navy members are on energetic obligation in a fight zone

“And as of at this time, there may be not one member of the US navy who’s in energetic obligation in a fight zone, in any warfare zone around the globe, the primary time this century,” Harris mentioned.

That is false.

Whereas Congress hasn’t formally declared a warfare in many years, American troops are actually in fight zones around the globe.

They’re serving in locations like Iraq and Syria, the place they work with native troops to combat terrorist networks. They usually additionally conduct missions in each locations — we noticed that late final month in Iraq’s Anbar province, the place an operation killed 15 Islamic State fighters and two U.S. troopers have been medevaced for accidents (and 5 extra have been injured). And a drone assault in Syria final month injured eight U.S. service members.

U.S. troops are additionally in Somalia and different elements of Africa, the place they help native troops preventing terrorist teams, and so they’ve been taking pictures down Houthi drones and missiles within the Crimson Sea.

Truth verify: Trump claims he saved Obamacare

“Do I put it aside and make it nearly as good as it may be, or do I let it rot, and I saved it,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Throughout Trump’s time period in workplace, he made a number of makes an attempt to repeal the Reasonably priced Care Act. Whereas these efforts have been unsuccessful, Republicans in Congress did repeal its particular person mandate, which required folks to have medical health insurance or face fines.

Truth verify: Did Trump’s election circumstances fail on standing?

“No decide checked out it. … They mentioned we didn’t have standing. That’s the opposite factor. They mentioned we didn’t have standing. Are you able to think about a system the place an individual in an election doesn’t have standing? The president of the US doesn’t have standing? That’s how we misplaced in the event you take a look at the details, and I’d like to have you ever do a particular on it. I’ll present you Georgia, and I’ll present you Wisconsin, and I’ll present you Pennsylvania,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Trump falsely claimed that judges rejected the greater than 50 lawsuits introduced by his supporters claiming widespread fraud as a result of the president didn’t have authorized “standing.”

The majority of the lawsuits were rejected due to a scarcity of proof of voter fraud, a discovering that Legal professional Normal William Barr supported. Judges in Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania rejected the claims of widespread voter fraud. The Supreme Courtroom rejected Trump’s attraction due to a scarcity of standing. There may be extensive proof that the 2020 election wasn’t marred by fraud. 

Truth verify: Is ‘migrant crime’ taking place at excessive ranges?

“They’ve destroyed the material of our nation. Tens of millions of individuals let in and all around the world, crime is down all around the world, besides right here. Crime right here is up and thru the roof, regardless of their fraudulent statements that they made, crime on this nation’s by way of the roof, and we’ve a brand new type of crime. It’s known as migrant crime. I like that. It’s taking place at ranges no person thought potential,” Trump mentioned.

That is deceptive.

The speed of violent and property crimes dropped precipitously within the first three months of 2024 in contrast with the identical interval final 12 months, in line with quarterly statistics launched Monday by the FBI referred to as the Uniform Crime Report. The homicide price fell by 26.4%, reported rapes decreased by 25.7%, robberies fell by 17.8%, aggravated assault fell by 12.5%, and the general violent crime price went down by 15.2%, the statistics point out.

Pressed concerning the crime charges’ contradicting him, Trump claimed the FBI didn’t “embrace the cities with the worst crime; it was a fraud.” And whereas it’s true that some cities knowledge isn’t included within the FBI crime knowledge, city-level knowledge exhibits related developments. For instance, New York Metropolis knowledge compiled by the police department signifies that crime was down total within the first quarter of 2024 there, too.

Underneath President Joe Biden, over 112,000 migrants with prison backgrounds have been apprehended on the border, in contrast with over 63,000 below Trump. The variety of people who find themselves on the terrorist watchlist stopped on the border has largely stayed the identical, with an estimated 1,400 encounters below Trump and 1,800 below Biden. However the authorities has acknowledged the problem of vetting migrants coming from international locations that received’t share prison historical past knowledge with the U.S., and investigators have opened greater than 100 investigations into the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has unfold into the U.S.

Truth verify: Are noncitizens being inspired to vote?

“We have now to have borders, and we’ve to have good elections. Our elections are unhealthy. And lots of these unlawful immigrants coming in, they’re making an attempt to get them to vote. They will’t even converse English. They don’t even know what nation they’re in, virtually. And these persons are making an attempt to get them to vote, and that’s why they’re permitting them to come back into our nation,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

It’s a crime to register or vote as a noncitizen in all state and federal elections, although Washington, D.C., and a handful of municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont permit noncitizen voting in native elections. Few folks break these legal guidelines.

There’s no proof of “folks” making an attempt to get undocumented migrants to vote, both.

Truth verify: Trump says ‘fossil gas might be useless’ below Harris

“If she received the election, the day after that election, return to destroying our nation and oil might be useless. Fossil gas might be useless. We’ll return to windmills, and we’ll return to photo voltaic, the place they want a complete desert to get some power to come back out. You ever see a photo voltaic plant? By the way in which, I’m a giant fan of photo voltaic, however they take 400-500 acres of desert soil,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Oil and gasoline manufacturing is at an all-time excessive below the Biden administration, and the U.S. is the world’s prime oil producer.

In the meantime, wind and solar energy are quickly increasing throughout the nation. The U.S. Vitality Info Affiliation initiatives the quantity of latest solar energy coming on-line will develop by 75% from 2023 to 2025. New wind energy can be rising by 11%.

Within the context of the price of residing for Individuals, photo voltaic and onshore wind are additionally considerably cheaper sources of power than fossil gas. Solar energy, on common, prices practically half the worth of fossil gasoline power, in line with the EIA.

Truth verify: Did Trump threaten there could be a ‘massacre’ if he doesn’t win the election?

“Donald Trump, the candidate, has mentioned, on this election, there might be a massacre if this and the end result of this election is to not his liking. Let’s flip the web page on this. Let’s not return. Let’s chart a course for the long run and never go backwards to the previous,” Harris mentioned.

That is true, although Trump says otherwise.

Throughout the debate, Trump hit again at Harris, saying: “Let me simply it was a unique time period, and it was a time period that associated to power, as a result of they’ve destroyed our power enterprise. … That story has been, as you’d say, debunked.”

Harris was referring to comments Trump made at a rally in Andalia, Ohio, in March.

On the rally, Trump vowed there could be a “massacre” if he’s not elected in November — feedback that got here throughout a broader tirade that included his referring to the opportunity of an rising commerce warfare with China over auto manufacturing.

On the Ohio rally, Trump mentioned: “In the event you’re listening, President Xi — and also you and I are associates — however he understands the way in which I deal. These massive monster automotive manufacturing crops that you simply’re constructing in Mexico proper now … you’re going to not rent Individuals and also you’re going to promote the automobiles to us, no. We’re going to place a 100% tariff on each single automotive that comes throughout the road, and also you’re not going to have the ability to promote these automobiles if I get elected.”

“Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a massacre for the entire — that’s gonna be the least of it,” he added. “It’s going to be a massacre for the nation. That would be the least of it. However they’re not going to promote these automobiles. They’re constructing huge factories.”

Later, Trump mentioned, “If this election isn’t received, I’m undecided that you simply’ll ever have one other election on this nation.”

Trump has continued to refuse to acknowledge that he misplaced the 2020 election. The doubt he solid on the outcomes of the race helped sow the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rebel.

In response to the feedback in March, Trump marketing campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt informed NBC Information on the time that “Biden’s insurance policies will create an financial massacre for the auto business and autoworkers.”

Truth verify: Who’s accountable for the botched troop exit from Afghanistan?

“They didn’t hearth anyone having to do with Afghanistan and the Taliban and the 13 individuals who have been simply killed, viciously and violently killed. And I bought to know the dad and mom and the household. They didn’t hearth, they need to have fired all these generals, all these prime folks, as a result of that was one of the vital incompetently dealt with conditions anyone has ever seen,” Trump mentioned.

That is true, however further context is required.

It’s true that nobody within the Biden administration was held accountable for the ultimate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, a chaotic occasion that resulted in 13 deaths.

However Trump and Biden share duty for the withdrawal and its penalties. Each publicly supported pulling U.S. troops out and rejected recommendation from navy commanders to maintain a small U.S. power on the bottom.

Trump and his supporters have tried to solely blame Biden and Harris for the chaotic pullout. The Biden administration, in a Nationwide Safety Council report final 12 months, tried to pin a lot of the blame on the Trump administration, arguing that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s selections.

In February 2020, the Trump administration negotiated an settlement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan authorities, lowered U.S. troops ranges from 12,500 to 2,500, freed 5,000 Taliban prisoners in a prisoner alternate and required all U.S. troops to withdraw by Could 1, 2021.

In return, the united statesreceived an ambiguous pledge from the Taliban to not permit Afghanistan to grow to be a base for terrorist assaults towards the U.S. and its allies. 

Trump then scaled again U.S. troop ranges over the course of 2020 from about 13,000 to 2,500 as a part of the deal, despite the fact that the Taliban didn’t preserve their dedication to scale back violence and it maintained ties with Al Qaeda. Republican lawmakers in November expressed alarm over the troop reductions, with Sen. Marco Rubio, of Florida, warning of a “Saigon-type state of affairs.”

The February 2020 Doha settlement and the troop drawdown introduced Biden with troublesome decisions. Some administration officers have been involved that if the U.S. selected to renege on the Doha settlement, the administration must deploy further U.S. troops in Afghanistan to bolster the small contingent remaining. That, in flip, risked triggering an intensified warfare with the Taliban.

The top of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, advisable preserving a small power of two,500 in place to counter the terrorist menace from the nation and to help the Afghan military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees, Gen. Mark Milley, agreed with the advice.

Biden ultimately moved up the timeline for full troop withdrawal to Aug. 31 (from Sept. 11) because the Taliban made dramatic advances throughout the nation.

In August, Taliban forces seized Kabul with out a combat, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the nation amid chaotic scenes on the Kabul airport. Determined Afghans climbed onto the wings of a U.S. cargo aircraft and fell from the sky after it took off. 

On Aug. 26, a bombing on the airport’s Abbey Gate through the closing days of the withdrawal killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans and wounded many extra folks. The assault was carried out by ISIS. 

Truth verify: Trump says Harris ‘needs to do transgender operations on unlawful aliens which might be in jail’

“Now she needs to do transgender operations on unlawful aliens which might be in jail,” Trump mentioned.

This wants context.

CNN recently reported that in her response to an American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire in 2019, Harris mentioned transgender individuals who depend on the state for care, together with federal prisoners and detainees, ought to have entry to gender transition remedy. The Harris marketing campaign didn’t reply questions from CNN about whether or not she nonetheless helps that place.

Truth verify: Trump says Democrats help ‘execution after start’

“You’ll be able to take a look at the governor of West Virginia, the earlier governor of West Virginia — not the present governor, who’s doing a wonderful job, however the governor earlier than — he mentioned the child might be born and we are going to determine what to do with the child. In different phrases, we’ll execute it. And that’s why I did that, as a result of that predominates, as a result of they’re radical. The Democrats are radical. … Her vice presidential choose says abortion within the ninth month is completely high quality. He additionally says execution after start is execution — not abortion as a result of the child is born OK, and that’s not OK with me,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Whereas some Democrats, together with Walz, help broad entry to abortion no matter gestation age, infanticide is against the law, and no Democrats advocate for it. What’s extra, simply 1% of abortions are carried out after 21 weeks’ gestation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they’re sometimes as a result of critical medical causes.

This can be a frequent falsehood from Trump relationship to 2019, referring to one thing former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, mentioned on a radio program. NBC Information debunked the claim then, reporting that Northam’s remarks have been about resuscitating infants with extreme deformities or nonviable pregnancies. 

Requested what occurs when a lady who’s going into labor wishes a third-trimester abortion, Northam famous that such procedures happen solely in circumstances of extreme deformities or nonviable pregnancies. He mentioned that in these eventualities, “the toddler could be resuscitated if that’s what the mom and the household desired, after which a dialogue would ensue between the physicians and the mom.”

Truth verify: Are pets being harmed by migrants?

That is false.

Baseless rumors have spread on social media for days claiming that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and consuming pets. A lot of the rumors contain Springfield, which has numerous Haitian immigrants, however police there knocked down the tales Monday in an announcement saying they hadn’t seen any documented examples.

“There have been no credible experiences or particular claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by people inside the immigrant neighborhood,” the assertion mentioned.

Republicans, together with Vance, have pointed to the claims as proof that immigrants are inflicting chaos. Vance, although, hedged considerably in a statement on X on Tuesday, saying, “It’s potential, after all, that each one of those rumors will grow to be false.”

Immigration is a potent subject within the presidential face. In an NBC Information ballot in April, 22% of voters put immigration and the border as an important difficulty going through the nation, second solely to inflation and the price of residing, at 23%.

John Kirby, the White Home’s nationwide safety spokesperson, denounced the claims about Haitians in Ohio as a harmful conspiracy principle that might encourage anti-immigrant violence.

“There might be those who consider it regardless of how ludicrous and silly it’s, and so they would possibly act on that sort of data and act on it in a means the place anyone may get harm,” he informed reporters Tuesday.

Truth verify: Have the roles created below the Biden administration been ‘bounce-back’ jobs?

“[T]he solely jobs they bought have been bounce-back jobs. These have been jobs bounce again, and it bounced again, and it went to their profit, however I used to be the one which created them,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

The U.S. regained all the roles misplaced through the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2022. Since then, greater than 6 million jobs have been created.

Truth verify: Trump says inflation is ‘in all probability the worst in our nation’s historical past’

“Look, we’ve had a horrible financial system as a result of inflation has — which is absolutely referred to as a rustic buster. It breaks up international locations. We have now inflation like only a few folks have ever seen earlier than, in all probability the worst in our nation’s historical past,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Inflation is at 2.9%, the bottom it has been since March 2021, though the speed did attain a peak of 9.1% throughout June 2022 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Inflation was at that degree at a number of factors of the Trump presidency, as effectively, in June and July 2018.

Truth verify: Trump says he has ‘nothing to do with Venture 2025’

“I’ve nothing to do with Venture 2025. That’s on the market. I haven’t learn it. I don’t wish to learn it purposely. I’m not going to learn it. This was a gaggle of those who bought collectively. They got here up with some concepts, I assume, some good, some unhealthy, however it makes no distinction,” Trump mentioned.

That is deceptive.

Trump has spent weeks making an attempt to push again towards associations with Venture 2025, a 900-page coverage want record put out by the Heritage Basis.

It’s true that Trump has disavowed a number of the insurance policies within the doc and that he didn’t write it, however lots of his allies and former aides are behind it and have superior the positions proposed in it.

The Heritage Basis additionally had vital affect within the Trump administration. In 2018, it boasted that Trump and his administration “embraced practically two-thirds of the coverage suggestions” it superior in an analogous doc. 

Truth verify: Are 21 million migrants coming into the U.S. month-to-month?

“However once you take a look at what she’s finished to our nation, and once you take a look at these thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of individuals which might be pouring into our nation month-to-month, the place it’s I consider 21 million folks, not the 15 that individuals say,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Based on statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Safety, there have been an estimated 10 million encounters throughout U.S. land borders through the Biden administration. In July, CBP recorded 170,273 nationwide encounters between and at U.S. ports of entry. Essentially the most nationwide encounters recorded because the begin of fiscal 12 months 2024 has been 370,887.

Truth verify: Would Trump tax cuts create a $5 trillion deficit?

“My opponent, however, his plan is to do what he has finished earlier than, which is to offer a tax lower for billionaires and massive firms, which can end in $5 trillion to America’s deficit. My opponent has a plan that I name the Trump gross sales tax, which might be a 20% tax on on a regular basis items that you simply depend on to get by way of the month. Economists have mentioned that that Trump gross sales tax would really outcome for middle-class households in about $4,000 extra a 12 months,” Harris mentioned.

That is true.

A report in May from the nonpartisan Congressional Finances Workplace discovered that extending the Trump tax cuts for 10 years would add $4.6 trillion to the federal deficit.

Harris’ reference to Trump’s “gross sales tax” really refers to his proposal to lift tariffs on all practically all imported primary items by 10% and by as much as 60% on primary items imported from China. Economists, including from the left-leaning Center for American Progress, have mentioned these ranges of tariffs would cross prices on to shoppers, amounting to about $3,900 in further prices for a mean middle-class household.