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Fact-checking false claims you heard at the Biden-Trump CNN presidential debate
Fact-checking claims from Donald Trump and Joe Biden at CNN Presidential debate in Atlanta.
Former US President Donald Trump and current POTUS Joe Biden faced off for the first time since 2020 at the 90-minute long CNN Presidential debate in Atlanta.
While binging CNN cable or online broadcasting, you have heard, Trump claiming US has fallen apart under Biden's presidency or Biden's claim that he boosted the inflation rate of 9% since he took charge of the Oval office.
Following this, HindustanTimes.com fact-checking tonight's CNN presidential debate.
Fact-checking claims made by Trump and Biden
Trump claims, “We had the greatest economy in the history of our country”
Trump's assertion does not hold up when examining key economic indicators. According to the World Bank, excluding the 2020 pandemic, GDP growth under Trump averaged 2.67%, lower than the 4% average during Bill Clinton’s presidency. Including the pandemic period, Trump’s average GDP growth drops to 1.45%. Historically, GDP growth has been higher during other periods, such as 4.4%-6.6% from 1962 to 1966 and up to 8.7% in 1950-1951. Under Biden, annual GDP growth is averaging 3.4%, per AP.
Even during Trump's time at Oval office the unemployment rate was 3.5%, and rate increased to 6.3% by the end of his term.
Biden claims, “I'm the only president this century that doesn't have any — this decade — that doesn't have any troops dying anywhere in the world.”
At least 16 U.S. service members have died overseas during Biden’s presidency, including 13 in an attack at Kabul airport in August 2021 and three in Jordan in January 2023.
Trump addresses abortion issue and claims Virginia Governor supports “killing the baby.”
Former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam discussed late-term abortions in a 2019 interview, stating, “the infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired.” He did not advocate for killing a newborn, which is illegal in every state.
Biden claims he “changed” the illegal border crossing; 40% less people are crossing the border illegally now
llegal border crossings have dropped since Biden’s June proclamation banning most migrants from asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Recent data show a 47% decrease in daily crossings from May’s average. During Trump’s administration, daily crossings peaked at 4,300 in 2019 but dropped below 2,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump claims “terrorist” migrants are entering US and “killing our citizens at a level”
“People are coming in and killing our citizens at a level like we've never seen before,” Trump said while tearing into Biden's open border policy.
While some migrants have committed serious crimes, studies indicate that migrants living in the U.S. illegally do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born Americans. Government data show a small number of migrants processed by Border Patrol have criminal records.
A survey by the Brennan Center for Justice debunked the soaring crime rate claim, saying that “immigrants commit crime or are incarcerated at higher rates than native-born Americans. In fact, immigrants might have less law enforcement contact compared to nonimmigrants.”
Trump’s claim on COVID death
“Remember, more people died under his administration — even though we had largely fixed it — more people died under his administration than our administration,” Trump said while slamming Biden.
Over 460,000 people died from COVID-19 by the end of Trump’s term, while more than 725,000 have died during Biden’s administration, per a CDC report. Early COVID-19 death counts were likely undercounted, affecting the comparison.
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Trump's denial of “suckers and losers” comments
During the 90-minute long debate, the former POTUS said he did to alluded US soldiers who were killed as “suckers and losers.”
“First of all, that was a made-up quote. 'Suckers and losers,' they made it up,” he said.
Multiple sources, including current and former military officials, have confirmed that Trump made disparaging remarks about U.S. military members who were killed or captured. He referred to American war dead in France as "losers" and "suckers." The Atlantic first reported these comments in 2020, and Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, later confirmed them to CNN.
