Donald Trump‘s team late Thursday during the debate was proactive in sending out fact-checking emails aimed at President Joe Biden. The 90-minute debate, televised live from CNN's studio in Atlanta, led to flash polls declaring Trump the clear winner of the debate after Biden fumbled bringing back concerns about his age and mental acuity.
What Happened: Throughout the first presidential debate, Trump’s team sent out at least 10 emails, scrutinizing Biden’s comments on a range of topics, from inflation economy, abortion rights, immigration, and much more.
Ironically, amid the flurry of corrections aimed at Biden, Trump himself made several notable misstatements. Here's a breakdown of five key areas where the former president's claims did not hold up under scrutiny.
Claim 1: Mischaracterization of Capitol Riot Events
During the debate Trump downplayed the severity of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, stating that only a “relatively small number of people” were involved and were even “ushered in” by the police. Contrary to his claims, the event was a violent siege, as confirmed by countless pieces of evidence and the charges against over 1,400 individuals involved in the attack.
In a 2023 internal memo, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger addressed the claim that “our officers helped the rioters and acted as ‘tour guides,'” calling it “outrageous and false.”
Claim 2: False Statement on Job Loss Among Black Americans
Trump inaccurately blamed the rising number of illegal border crossings for job losses among Black Americans. "The fact is that his big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he's allowed to come through the border. They're taking Black jobs now," Trump said.
However, this assertion lacks evidence, as recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a decrease in the unemployment rate among Black Americans to 4.8% in April 2023 — an all-time low.
Claim 3: Exaggerations About Border Safety
In an attempt to tout his administration’s policies, Trump claimed to have had “the safest border in the history of our country.” This statement is misleading, considering the high number of illegal crossings recorded in the final year of his term compared to earlier years.
In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic reduced border crossings, there were approximately 860,000 illegal crossings, as per NBC News, surpassing any year under the Obama administration.
Claim 4: Misrepresentation of Public Opinion on Abortion
Trump asserted that “everybody” supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade and favored state-level decision-making on abortion. However, Trump’s claim doesn’t match what multiple polls consistently showed. As per polls most Americans — two-thirds or nearly two-thirds of respondents — wanted Roe to be preserved.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS in April found that 65% of adults opposed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe. Similarly, an NBC News poll in June 2023 found that 61% of registered voters opposed the decision too.
Claim 5: False Claims About Post-Birth Abortion
Trump’s most alarming claim was that Democrats endorse infanticide, allowing babies to be killed “after birth.”
"The problem they have is they're radical, because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth — after birth," Trump said.
The statement is incorrect. Infanticide is illegal in all 50 states, and only a very small percentage of abortions occur at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, less than 1% of abortions in the United States were performed at or after 21 weeks.
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