The much-awaited first presidential debate of the 2024 election was a tense encounter between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who shared the debate stage for the first time in almost four years.
Thursday’s debate had some new rules that were agreed upon by the candidates to prevent insults and interruptions. Microphones were muted when it wasn’t a candidate’s turn to speak, and there was no live audience present.
However, as the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees took the stage on Thursday night, both made some false, misleading, or exaggerated statements. Scripps News looked into some of the claims made by both candidates and fact-checked them.
CLAIM: The 2020 election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump.
- There is no evidence of election interference, wrongdoing, or errors on a scale that would have impacted the outcome of the 2020 election. No state election authorities have found that fraud affected their elections, even after multiple audits and recounts. Neither Donald Trump nor any of his supporters provided credible evidence of widespread fraud, and no court found such fraud after numerous lawsuits. CISA, an agency created with Donald Trump’s approval, has stated that election systems were very secure overall.
CLAIM: Rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were “ushered in by the police.”
- While the motivations of every individual rioter cannot be determined, the individuals who breached the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, participated in a riot, with at least part of the group intending to overthrow the sitting government. Many rioters have been proven guilty in court, and numerous people have been charged with crimes related to the attack.
CLAIM: Trump’s hush-money case was “a Biden trial.”
- Neither Trump nor his attorneys or supporters have produced credible evidence that Joe Biden orchestrated, ordered, or suggested this investigation. The investigation began before Joe Biden was president, and indictments were delayed due to Trump’s status as a sitting president.
CLAIM: The Biden administration is responsible for “the largest deficit in the history of our country.”
- This statement is misleading, as neither Trump nor President Biden reduced the public debt significantly. However, neither has come close to the historic low of about $34,000 in 1835.
CLAIM: Biden said, “I don’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world.”
- Several American troops died in various incidents during Biden’s presidency, refuting the claim that there were no troop deaths.
CLAIM: Trump has been charged with “having sex with a porn star.”
- Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on multiple counts in his New York criminal hush money trial, including records related to an alleged affair with a porn star. However, he has not been charged or convicted of “having sex with a porn star.”
CLAIM: Dangerous criminal immigrants are crossing the border.
- While some undocumented immigrants have committed violent crimes, characterizing all migrants as dangerous criminals is not supported by data. Studies have shown that undocumented immigrants are less likely to be involved in criminal activity compared to born U.S. citizens.
CLAIM: Under Trump’s presidency, “We had the greatest economy in history.”
More of our coverage:
