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 night time, 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.

Here is what Harris and Trump acquired proper and flawed on the talk stage in Philadelphia.

Truth test: Trump calls Harris’ dad a Marxist

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

That’s not what his college students say.

In interviews, three of Professor Donald Harris’ former college students, who at the moment are economists themselves, advised NBC Information that they disagreed that Harris’ father is a Marxist. Donald Harris taught at Stanford College for almost three a long time till he retired in 1998, and whereas he was there, he studied Karl Marx’s financial philosophy among the many philosophies of different totally 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 particular person she is right now.

Truth test: Did the U.S. go away $85 billion price of army tools in Afghanistan?

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

That is false.

The Taliban did acquire possession of U.S.-made army 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 army and police throughout the two-decade warfare, together with coaching, tools and housing.

In accordance with 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 arms of the previous Afghan authorities when it collapsed, the situation of which was unknown. The report mentioned the U.S. army had eliminated or destroyed nearly all the main tools it was utilizing in Afghanistan within the months main as much as the U.S. withdrawal.

Truth test: Trump claims Harris ‘desires to confiscate your weapons’

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

That is false.

On-line posts have superior an identical 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 homeowners. We’re not taking anyone’s weapons away.”

Truth test: 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 throughout the Trump administration. However by the point Trump left workplace on the top of the pandemic, the U.S. had given up nearly all these features because of the worldwide financial devastation from the virus.

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

Truth test: 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 People,” Harris mentioned.

This wants context.

Harris’ feedback got here throughout a prolonged change 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 need the warfare to cease. I need to save lives which are being uselessly, individuals 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 communicate to at least one, I’ll communicate to the opposite, I’ll get them collectively.”

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

“Due to our assist, due to the air protection, the ammunition, the artillery … that we now have offered, Ukraine stands as an impartial and free nation. If Donald Trump had 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 features Russian President Vladimir Putin made throughout his unlawful invasion. In change, 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 necessary to notice that Trump didn’t say in his direct response to Muir that he needed Ukraine to win within the warfare. He mentioned solely that he needed the warfare to cease.

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

Truth test: Harris says no U.S. army members are on energetic responsibility in a fight zone

“And as of right now, there may be not one member of america army who’s in energetic responsibility 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 a long time, American troops are definitely in fight zones around the globe.

They’re serving in locations like Iraq and Syria, the place they work with native troops to struggle 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 had been medevaced for accidents (and 5 extra had 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 components of Africa, the place they assist native troops preventing terrorist teams, they usually’ve been taking pictures down Houthi drones and missiles within the Purple Sea.

Truth test: Trump claims he saved Obamacare

“Do I reserve it and make it pretty much 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 Inexpensive Care Act. Whereas these efforts had been unsuccessful, Republicans in Congress did repeal its particular person mandate, which required individuals to have medical insurance or face fines.

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

“No choose 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 america doesn’t have standing? That’s how we misplaced should you take a look at the information, 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 Basic 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’s extensive proof that the 2020 election wasn’t marred by fraud.

Truth test: Is ‘migrant crime’ occurring at excessive ranges?

“They’ve destroyed the material of our nation. Hundreds of thousands 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 the roof, and we now have a brand new type of crime. It’s known as migrant crime. I like that. It’s occurring 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, based on quarterly statistics launched Monday by the FBI generally known as the Uniform Crime Report. The homicide fee 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 fee went down by 15.2%, the statistics point out.

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

Beneath President Joe Biden, over 112,000 migrants with felony backgrounds have been apprehended on the border, in contrast with over 63,000 underneath 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 underneath Trump and 1,800 underneath Biden. However the authorities has acknowledged the issue of vetting migrants coming from international locations that gained’t share felony historical past information 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 test: Are noncitizens being inspired to vote?

“We now have to have borders, and we now have to have good elections. Our elections are dangerous. And loads of these unlawful immigrants coming in, they’re making an attempt to get them to vote. They will’t even communicate English. They don’t even know what nation they’re in, virtually. And these individuals 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 individuals break these legal guidelines.

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

Truth test: Trump says ‘fossil gasoline will likely be useless’ underneath Harris

“If she gained the election, the day after that election, return to destroying our nation and oil will likely be useless. Fossil gasoline will likely be useless. We’ll return to windmills, and we’ll return to photo voltaic, the place they want an entire desert to get some vitality 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 fuel manufacturing is at an all-time excessive underneath 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. Power Data 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 dwelling for People, photo voltaic and onshore wind are additionally considerably cheaper sources of vitality than fossil gasoline. Solar energy, on common, prices almost half the value of fossil fuel vitality, based on the EIA.

Truth test: 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 will likely be a massacre if this and the 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 longer term and never go backwards to the previous,” Harris mentioned.

That is true, although Trump says otherwise.

In the course of the debate, Trump hit again at Harris, saying: “Let me simply it was a distinct time period, and it was a time period that associated to vitality, as a result of they’ve destroyed our vitality 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 potential 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 mates — however he understands the way in which I deal. These massive monster automobile manufacturing vegetation that you simply’re constructing in Mexico proper now … you’re going to not rent People and also you’re going to promote the vehicles to us, no. We’re going to place a 100% tariff on each single automobile that comes throughout the road, and also you’re not going to have the ability to promote these vehicles 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 vehicles. They’re constructing large factories.”

Later, Trump mentioned, “If this election isn’t gained, 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 forged on the outcomes of the race helped sow the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

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

Truth test: Who’s liable 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 had been simply killed, viciously and violently killed. And I acquired to know the dad and mom and the household. They didn’t hearth, they need to have fired all these generals, all these prime individuals, as a result of that was one of the vital incompetently dealt with conditions anyone has ever seen,” Trump mentioned.

That is true, however extra 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 army commanders to maintain a small U.S. pressure 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 choices.

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

In return, the usreceived an ambiguous pledge from the Taliban to not permit Afghanistan to turn out to be a base for terrorist assaults in opposition to 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, though the Taliban didn’t maintain their dedication to cut 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 scenario.”

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

The pinnacle of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, really helpful conserving a small pressure of two,500 in place to counter the terrorist menace from the nation and to assist the Afghan military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers, Gen. Mark Milley, agreed with the advice.

Biden finally 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 and not using a struggle, 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 airplane and fell from the sky after it took off.

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

Truth test: Trump says Harris ‘desires to do transgender operations on unlawful aliens which are in jail’

“Now she desires to do transgender operations on unlawful aliens which are 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 therapy. The Harris marketing campaign didn’t reply questions from CNN about whether or not she nonetheless helps that place.

Truth test: Trump says Democrats assist ‘execution after delivery’

“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 infant will likely be born and we’ll resolve what to do with the infant. 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 decide says abortion within the ninth month is totally tremendous. He additionally says execution after delivery is execution — not abortion as a result of the infant is born OK, and that’s not OK with me,” Trump mentioned.

That is false.

Whereas some Democrats, together with Walz, assist broad entry to abortion no matter gestation age, infanticide is prohibited, 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 usually because of severe medical causes.

This can be a frequent falsehood from Trump courting 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 had 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 situations, “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 test: 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 a lot of Haitian immigrants, however police there knocked down the tales Monday in a press release saying they hadn’t seen any documented examples.

“There have been no credible stories or particular claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by people throughout 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, in fact, that every one of those rumors will turn into 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 crucial difficulty dealing with the nation, second solely to inflation and the price of dwelling, at 23%.

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

“There will likely be folks that consider it regardless of how ludicrous and silly it’s, they usually would possibly act on that form of info and act on it in a approach the place any person might get harm,” he advised reporters Tuesday.

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

“[T]he solely jobs they acquired had been bounce-back jobs. These had 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 throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2022. Since then, greater than 6 million jobs have been created.

Truth test: Trump says inflation is ‘most likely the worst in our nation’s historical past’

“Look, we’ve had a horrible economic system as a result of inflation has — which is absolutely generally known as a rustic buster. It breaks up international locations. We now have inflation like only a few individuals have ever seen earlier than, most likely 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 stage at a number of factors of the Trump presidency, as nicely, in June and July 2018.

Truth test: Trump says he has ‘nothing to do with Undertaking 2025’

“I’ve nothing to do with Undertaking 2025. That’s on the market. I haven’t learn it. I don’t need to learn it purposely. I’m not going to learn it. This was a gaggle of folks that acquired collectively. They got here up with some concepts, I assume, some good, some dangerous, however it makes no distinction,” Trump mentioned.

That is deceptive.

Trump has spent weeks making an attempt to push again in opposition to associations with Undertaking 2025, a 900-page coverage want listing put out by the Heritage Basis.

It’s true that Trump has disavowed a few 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 almost two-thirds of the coverage suggestions” it superior in an identical doc.

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

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

That is false.

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

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

“My opponent, then again, his plan is to do what he has completed earlier than, which is to offer a tax lower for billionaires and massive companies, 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 the month. Economists have mentioned that that Trump gross sales tax would truly consequence 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” truly refers to his proposal to boost tariffs on all almost all imported fundamental items by 10% and by as much as 60% on fundamental 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 extra prices for a mean middle-class household.

This text was initially revealed on NBCNews.com