Trump-Kamala debate: How US media fact-checked the presidential nominees on US economy, immigration

During a pivotal debate between United States Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump as part of the 2024 campaign on Wednesday, both candidates clashed over key issues such as the economy, immigration, and abortion. With polls showing them in a tight race ahead of November 5 elections, each sought to shape their vision for the future of America while deflecting attacks from the other. However, several of the claims made during the debate were either false, misleading, or exaggerated.

Donald Trump, in particular, made a series of inaccurate statements, including false claims about immigrants “eating pets,” his ties to Project 2025 and abortion, among other issues raised during their heated exchange in Philadelphia.

Here’s how the US media fact-checked the duo:

Kamala Harris: “As of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, for the first time this century.”

NYT fact-checks: “This needs context” says the New York Times. Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, thousands of US troops have been drawn into hostilities in the Middle East. While not engaged in a full-scale war like in Iraq or Afghanistan, they are involved in various operations. US forces have intercepted Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, launched airstrikes on Houthi militants in Yemen, and faced attacks from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, resulting in casualties.

Donald Trump: “Abortions are taking place in the ninth month of pregnancy..”

The Guardian fact-checks: Fewer than 1% of abortions are performed after 21 weeks of pregnancy. When they do occur, it’s typically due to medical emergencies or severe fetal anomalies. Additionally, Trump has suggested on several occasions that abortions happen after birth. However, infanticide, or killing a newborn, is illegal in all 50 states, according to The Guardian.

Donald Trump: “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.”

NYT fact-checks: The New York Times has called the claim “misleading”. While Harris had not attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the Congress on July 19 — because she was to attend an event in Indiana — NYT reports that the Vice-President did meet him the next day.

Donald Trump: “A lot of these illegal immigrants coming in —” Democrats are “trying to get them to vote.”

NYT, AP fact-check: “This lacks evidence.” In recent months, Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly made the baseless claim that noncitizens are voting illegally in federal elections. They often assert, without evidence, that Democrats are attempting to allow undocumented immigrants to vote to secure electoral victories through fraudulent means, NYT said.

AP asserted that there is no evidence to support this assertion, nor is there evidence that noncitizens vote illegally in significant numbers. Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in elections, with violations potentially leading to fines, imprisonment, or deportation. While there have been isolated incidents of noncitizens casting votes, studies indicate that this is extremely rare. States routinely audit voter rolls to ensure that only eligible voters are listed. Additionally, Trump’s comments imply that not speaking English could prevent someone from voting, which is not accurate. The Voting Rights Act mandates that certain states provide election materials in multiple languages based on the needs of their voting-age population.

Donald Trump: Immigrants are ‘eating the pets’ in Ohio town

ABC News fact-checks: These are false and unsubstantiated claims.“You bring up Springfield, Ohio, and ABC News did reach out to the city manager there. He told us (the news agency) there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” moderator David Muir told Trump.

Donald Trump: “I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country. … They’ve destroyed the economy.”

AP fact-checks: According to the Associate Press, the claim is overstated. Economic growth was significantly higher during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan compared to Donald Trump. Gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest indicator of economic performance, grew by 4% annually for four consecutive years under Clinton, while the highest annual growth under Trump was 3% in 2018. The economy contracted by 2.2% in 2020, during the final year of Trump’s presidency. Additionally, a larger percentage of American adults were employed under Clinton than Trump. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the economy grew by 5.8% in 2021, although much of this reflected a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kamala Harris: “He lost manufacturing jobs.”

NYT fact-checks: “This needs context” says the New York Times. By the end of Trump’s presidency, the United States had lost nearly 200,000 factory jobs compared to when he first took office, largely due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.

Kamala Harris: “We have created over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs.

AP, NYT fact-check: The news agencies like AP News and NYT claimed that those statements are missing context.

When Biden took office in January 2021, the US had 12.188 million manufacturing employees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Preliminary data for August 2024 shows that number rising to 12.927 million, a difference of 739,000 — close to the 800,000 figure cited by Harris. It’s also important to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a sharp decline in manufacturing employment, with over 1.3 million jobs lost in April 2020. Excluding that dip, there were only 206,000 more manufacturing employees in August 2024 than there were in March 2020, just before the pandemic hit.

Donald Trump: “Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.”

NYT fact-checks: According to the NYT, Trump was referencing Kamala Harris’s response to a 2019 questionnaire by the American Civil Liberties Union, where she expressed support for using taxpayer money to provide gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary individuals, including those in immigration detention and prison.

Donald Trump: “When you look at these millions and millions of people that are pouring into our country monthly — whereas, I believe, 21 million people, not the 15 people say, and I think it’s a lot higher than the 21 — that’s bigger than New York State … and just look at what they’re doing to our country. They’re criminals, many of these people are criminals, and that’s bad for our economy too.”

AP fact-checks: According to AP News, the figures presented by Trump are significantly exaggerated. In July, the Border Patrol recorded 56,408 arrests of individuals attempting to cross the border illegally from Mexico. Since President Biden took office, the Border Patrol has made approximately 7.1 million border arrests, though the actual number of individuals is lower due to many arrests involving repeat offenders.

Under the Biden administration, around 765,000 people were granted legal entry through the CBP One app at land crossings in Mexico by July. Additionally, 520,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were allowed to enter by air with financial sponsors. There is also an unknown number of individuals who crossed the border illegally and avoided capture.

— with inputs from AP, New York Times, The Guardian and ABC News

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