All eyes were on Philly for the Second Presidential Debate as Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off in their first debate. We’ve broken down key debate points and done the research to determine what’s fact or fake. Plus, what are Americans thinking post-debate about each candidate, as we head into the final days of the Presidential Campaign.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris listens as former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Maliyah Simone, CRDN
October 9, 2024
Kamala Harris debated Donald Trump on ABC Tuesday, September 10th. As with most debates, given the current political climate, a fact-check seems to be in order. That is especially true as we head into the final days of the presidential election where it seems that the misinformation and disinformation is only growing, markedly. Many claims were made by each side, and for morality’s sake we owe it to the American people to provide transparency and honesty within our elections. However, before we dive in, let’s take a look at the vibe Americans got out of the debate.
Since the debate Americans have been weighing in on their opinions of each candidate. Little more than two weeks later statistics show that more people find their views of Harris have improved since the debate. 37% of people say they think more favorably with regards to Harris while only 17% of people say their views on Trump have improved.
These statistics could potentially demonstrate a more permanent trend upwards in Harris’ approval ratings, which may signify a positive outcome for the Harris campaign. However, the polls have not yet demonstrated any consistent trends. On any given day, polls remain very stagnant, and on other days they are all over the place.
Facing the Facts
The following fact-check has been researched and verified by multiple sources and was conducted under terms by the Official Debate Transcript to ensure accuracy of claims.
US Economy
Harris: “My opponent [Trump] has a plan that I call the Trump sales tax, which would be a 20% tax on everyday goods that you rely on to get through the month.”
Fake or Fact: Half-Fact
While Trump does intend to implement tariffs ranging between 10-20% on all imported goods, he also intends to impose a nearly 60% tariff on China.
Trump: “I had no inflation…We have inflation [now] like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation's history. We were at 21%.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
Former President Trump did have inflation rates, however they were not quite as high as everyone says they were. The YoY inflation rate during the Trump presidency capped out around 1.9%. The claim that inflation rates during Biden’s Presidency reached 21% is also false as Biden’s presidency’s YoY rate peaked at 5.2%.
Harris: “Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.”
Fake or Fact: Fact
Since the Great Depression there have certainly been some ups and downs as far as the unemployment rate goes; however, in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic unemployment rates spiked to 14.8%.
Abortion
Trump: “He [Ralph Northam] said the baby will be born and we will decide what to do with the baby. In other words, we'll execute the baby.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
The claim during the debate mistakenly took aim at West Viginia’s former Governor however, Trump intended his claim about abortion after birth to reference Virginia’s former Governor Ralph Northam. This claim, however, is false. In a radio interview Northam is quoted regarding a hypothetical situation in which a fetus is born either full term or premature and presents with severe birth-defects and abnormalities not conducive to life.
Harris: “And now in over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care… Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest.”
Fake or Fact: Mostly-Fact
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022, 21 states have implemented a total abortion ban including 10 states that do not have exceptions for rape and incest. In all 21 states that have a total abortion ban with no gestational limits, doctors and healthcare providers face prison time and the revocation of their licenses.
Harris: “[Under Project 2025] a monitor that would be monitoring your pregnancies, your miscarriages.”
Fake or Fact: Half-Fact
Although the Conservative think-tank developed ‘Project 2025’ does detail the plans for a ban on abortion– with regards to specifics about a ‘monitor’, the plan only details that the CDC and DOH do not do enough to collect data which keeps track of abortions performed. Project 2025 dictates that the DOH and Human Services Department be mandated to report the number of abortions, stage of pregnancy, state of residence, and method of termination.
Harris: “Couples who pray and dream of having a family are being denied IVF treatments.”
Fake or Fact: Fact
Couples and women in this country are being denied access to IVF, however, it is typically due to financial constraints and healthcare coverage issues which brings about the denial. Harris’ claim directly correlates with the Right to IVF Act which would offer protections and rights across the US for individuals to access IVF treatments with broader healthcare coverages and less interference. After a forced vote by Senate Democrats the bill was vetoed by a wall of Republicans who say they support the bill but claim that its passing is “unnecessary.”
Immigration
Harris: “But you know what happened to that bill [Immigration Bill]? Donald Trump got on the phone, called up some folks in Congress, and said kill the bill. And you know why? Because he preferred to run [a campaign] on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
Fake or Fact: Fact
The bill that Harris references here is a bill that would enhance border security, raise asylum requirements, and grant the President the ability to shutdown the border when it reaches certain thresholds. The bill was vetoed in January of 2024 by Senate Republicans, and it has been widely speculated that the Trump campaign created a filibuster in order to utilize the border crisis as a campaign point against the then Biden campaign.
Trump: “In Springfield [Ohio], they're eating the dogs. The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating — they're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
This false claim began circulating after Mayor Rob Rue, in an interview with NPR, stated that there had been an influx of 15,000-20,000 Haitian immigrants into the town over the last four years which had resulted in a breakdown of basic infrastructure. However, the claims about voodoo rituals involving the consumption of household pets are strictly false; both Mayor Rue and the Springfield police have denied the rumors.
Trump: “And all over the world crime is down. All over the world except here. Crime here is up and through the roof.”
Fake or Fake: Half-Fact
Crime across the globe has dropped significantly since 2017 which makes this statement a half-fact; however, the claim that US crime rates have risen is false. In fact, according to the FBI's Quarterly Uniform Crime Report, violent crime rates for the first quarter of 2024 alone have dropped by 15.2% from 2023.
Trump: “She wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.”
Fake or Fact: Fact
Harris believes that inmates and those in immigration centers are entitled to medically necessary supports and procedures. Harris’ stance on transgender rights and gender-affirming care is no secret and she remains adamant that people have access to necessary healthcare, US citizens or no.
Trump: “And a lot of these illegal immigrants coming in, they're trying to get them to vote.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
According to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, it is illegal for immigrants and undocumented citizens to vote in any Presidential elections. Since 2003 there have only been 24 occurrences in which someone who was undocumented was able to cast a ballot illegally during an election– at which points the votes were not counted and those persons were prosecuted.
Background & Histories
Trump: “Every one of those cases was started by them against their political opponent. And I'm winning most of them and I'll win the rest on appeal…But those are cases, it's called weaponization… They're fake cases.”
Fake or Fake: Fake
The court cases in question here are the cases which Trump is either currently being tried for or will be tried for in the future. Trump currently has thirty-four felony convictions with regards to fraudulent business dealings, defamation of public figures and sexual abuse. Despite Trump’s claims of appeal there is no way to definitively say that he will win in appeals court. Additionally, the Justice Department has not been weaponized and there is no basis to the claim that the cases are “fake.”
Harris: “This is someone who has openly said he would terminate, I'm quoting, terminate the constitution of the United States.”
Fake or Fact: Fact
In 2022 Trump took to Truth Social, a widely right-wing conservative social media site, in a call to overturn of the 2020 election due to his claims of ‘voter fraud’. In the post he stated: “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
Trump: “She went out in Minnesota and wanted to let criminals that killed people, that burned down Minneapolis, she went out and raised money to get them out of jail.”
Fake or Fact: Half-Fact
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and in the midst of the protests in Minnesota, the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) was the go-to fundraiser dedicated to helping protesters who were arrested make bail. On June 1, 2020 Harris tweeted a link to the MFF encouraging those who wanted to help the cause to donate their. However, Harris did not actively campaign for the MFF prior to or after the tweet, nor did she promote burning down Minneapolis.
Trump: “I had nothing to do with that [January 6th] other than they asked me to make a speech.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
Since January 6th, 2020, Trump has been the subject of many investigations involving the events that occurred that day. While Trump did make a speech that day, in that same speech he told his supporters to “march down” to the Capitol building.
Harris: “Let's remember Charlottesville, where there was a mob of people carrying tiki torches, spewing antisemitic hate, and what did the president then at the time say? There were fine people on each side. Let's remember that when it came to the Proud Boys, a militia, the president said, the former president said, "Stand back and stand by."
Fake or Fact:
On August 12, 2017 a group of self-proclaimed neo-Nazis, members of the Ku Klux Klan, and white supremists took to the streets of Charlottesville, NC during the ‘Unite the Right Rally’. The group donned swastikas of their clothing and banners, carried tiki torches, and shouted “blood and soil” along with many other antisemitic slogans. Trump stated there were “Fine people on each side” when questioned about the violence that occurred that day. Additionally, during a debate between Trump and Biden, after being asked by the moderator if he would denounce the ‘Proud Boys’ group Trump stated they should “Stand back and stand by.”
Harris: “This is the same individual who took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the execution of five young Black and Latino boys who were innocent, the Central Park Five.” (Trump, in response: “They admitted — they said, they pled guilty. And I said, well, if they pled guilty, they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately. And if they pled guilty — then they pled we're not guilty.”)
Fake or Fact: Fact
Trump’s ad in the New York Daily News. Photograph: NY Daily News Archive
Foreign & Domestic Policies
Trump: “She wants to confiscate your guns…”
Fake or Fact: Fake
While the Harris administration does support tighter regulations on firearms and gun laws, Harris has not said that her administration will confiscate guns. During the debate she stated: “And then this business about taking everyone's guns away. Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We're not taking anybody's guns away.”
Trump: “She wants everybody to be on government insurance where you wait six months for an operation that you need immediately.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
Although Harris once took a stance that would limit private healthcare for the sake of improving government healthcare such as Medicaid and Medicare, she has since pivoted and claims that she supports private healthcare as long as policymakers work to improve public healthcare such as ObamaCare.
Trump: “She hates Israel. She wouldn't even meet with Netanyahu when he went to Congress to make a very important speech. She refused to be there because she was at a sorority party of hers.”
Fake or Fact: Half-Fact
While it is true that Vice President Harris missed Netanyahu’s Congressional Speech in July of 2024, she did not miss it in order to attend a “sorority party”. Harris was invited to and spoke at a conference for the Zeta Phi Beta organization; an event which was scheduled prior to Netanyahu’s announcement of his travels to the US. At the event Harris aimed to garner the support of black women voters. Harris has never claimed nor stated that she hates Israel.
Harris: “It is well known when that he said when Russia went into Ukraine it was brilliant.
Fake or Fact: Almost-Fact
While Trump never explicitly said the word brilliant to describe Russian invasion of Ukraine, he did recall on a radio show that when he first heard of Putin’s plans he quoted himself saying: ‘This is genius. Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine– Putin declares it as independent… You gotta say that’s pretty savvy.’
Trump: “We're going to end up in a third World War. And it will be a war like no other because of nuclear weapons, the power of weaponry.”
Fake or Fact: Fake
While the possibility of a third World War is always a possibility, Trump’s claim here is what psychologists and communication professionals refer to as ‘fear mongering’. Fear mongering is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as: ‘The action of intentionally trying to make people afraid of something when this is not necessary or reasonable.”
Climate Change
Harris: “The former president had said that climate change is a hoax.”
Fake or Fact: Almost-Fact
Trump did not explicitly use the word ‘hoax’ to refer to climate change, rather he hinted at the notion that due to the many terms used to describe climate change, there was no way it was real. In 2019 Trump is quoted on Fox saying: “If you look into the 1920s, they were talking about a global freezing, okay? In other words, the globe was going to freeze… And then they go global warming…” This reasoning either suggests that Trump is confused by the differing terms, or he sees climate change as a ‘hoax’ as Harris stated.
Trump: “They [Biden admin.] lost 10,000 manufacturing jobs this last month. It's going — they're all leaving. They're building big auto plants in Mexico. In many cases owned by China.”
Fake or Fact: Fake & Fact
In August of 2024 the manufacturing industry more accurately lost 24,000 jobs in the US, however, the cause of these losses is not correlated to Chinese auto plants. In fact, China is not only building plants in Mexico, the country has begun building globally; expanding to Mexico, Europe, and other parts of Asia.
There is currently no second debate scheduled for the presidential candidates and it is unclear if one will occur. The next scheduled event will be the Vice Presidential Debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz on October 1st, 2024 premiering on CBS at 9pm.