Fact Checking the ABC News Trump-Harris Debate
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris made many claims in their first debate hosted by ABC News (Lean Left bias), drawing media fact checks.
From the Left: CNN Fact Check (Left bias) led its coverage by saying Trump “delivered a staggering quantity and variety of false claims, some of which were egregious lies,” while “Harris was far more accurate than Trump,” only making one false claim. CNN labeled many of Trump’s claims as false, while many of Harris’ were “misleading” or in need of context. The claim CNN found to be false from Harris was when she said Trump left office “with the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression.”
From the Center: Reuters (Center bias) examined 12 claims from the candidates. Of Trump’s claim that Harris was Biden’s “border czar,” Reuters said it was “missing context” because it “was never an official title and Harris was never strictly overseeing the southern border.” Conversely, CNN rated Trump’s claim that Harris was the “border czar” as “false.” The Daily Signal (Right bias) did not examine the claim.
From the Right: The Daily Signal examined many claims, including several comments regarding stories Democrats have angled against Trump in the past. One of the most viral moments of last night’s debate was when Trump suggested Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating people’s pets. The Daily Signal described the residents’ claims as “not confirmed.” Similarly, Reuters described the claims as “unsubstantiated,” while CNN labeled them “false.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Fact-checking the ABC News presidential debateFormer President Donald Trump delivered more than 30 false claims during Tuesday’s presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, CNN’s preliminary count found – as he did during his June debate against President Joe Biden.
Trump again delivered a staggering quantity and variety of false claims, some of which were egregious lies about topics including abortion, immigration and the economy.
Harris was far more accurate than Trump; CNN’s preliminary count found just one false claim from the vice president, though she also added some claims that were misleading or lacking in key context.
From the Center
Fact Check: Harris-Trump debate: 12 statements examinedDemocratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican rival Donald Trump went head-to-head in Philadelphia on Tuesday at a high-stakes debate hosted by ABC News.
Reuters examined 12 claims made by Harris and Trump.
STATEMENTS BY HARRIS
CLAIM
Harris said economists project that Trump's tariff proposals would cost middle-class families about $4,000 more a year (timestamp: 09:05 p.m. ET).
WHAT WE KNOW
Trump has pledged, opens new tab tariffs of up to 20% on all imports and up to 60% on Chinese goods. Estimates vary on the impact of such tariffs on customers...
From the Right
Fact-Checking 22 Claims Made in Trump-Harris DebateVice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off Tuesday night for their first, and possibly only, debate before the Nov. 5 presidential election.
The matchup was hosted by ABC News and moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. The debate took place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
This is the second debate for Trump during the 2024 campaign. The first time around he faced off against President Joe Biden on June 27. Biden struggled to answer questions and finish sentences, and dropped out of the race July 21.
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