The moderators of the first presidential debate in 2024 were completely aloof from fact-checking the candidates. Lies and half-truths, especially from Donald Trump, were not refuted.
The former president often ignored questions from CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, instead talking about whatever he wanted. In some cases, they repeated the question and gave Trump a chance to answer it again.
Joe Biden sometimes pushed back against Trump’s claims, and vice versa, but was not always very specific. He just said the other person was lying.
The light moderation left lies, although the network indicated before the debate that the moderators would not intervene.
“If there’s a glaring fact that needs to be checked or the record needs to be cleared up, Jake and Dana can obviously do that,” CNN political director David Chalian told the Associated Press before the debate. “But that’s not their role. They’re not here to participate in this debate. They’re here to facilitate a debate between Trump and Biden.”
Here are the facts about some of the false claims raised during Thursday’s debate.
Abortion
The claim: Trump says Democrats support abortion up until birth and that “everyone” wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The facts: Later abortions are a common line of attack among Republicans — but it’s based on a myth. Less than 1% of abortions in the US are performed at or after 21 weeks, largely due to fetal abnormalities or lack of access to care earlier in pregnancy.
And Roe remained popular for the half-century it was in effect. Some anti-abortion activists have also argued that the federal government can use an existing law to implement a federal ban on abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court has also heard two abortion cases so far this year — evidence that the issue is far from resolved nationally.
Area
The claim: Trump had “the best environmental record ever.”
The facts: It is not clear which “environmental figures” Trump is referring to, making it impossible to fact check. But the Guardian has collected 75 ways Trump has made the country dirtier and the climate warmer.
Prescription Drug Reform
The claim: Biden has oversold his prescription drug reforms.
The facts: Biden said seniors’ out-of-pocket costs would be capped at $200, but it’s $2,000. The cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs is $35 a month, up from the $15 Biden claimed.
The border
The claim: Trump’s border was the most secure in history.
The facts: Trump said that when he left the presidency the US had the most secure border in history, and later said “almost” no one was getting through.
Although arrests of migrants have increased under Biden, the increases began in 2020, during Trump’s presidency. The reasons people wanted to migrate included economic stress caused by the pandemic and natural disasters, long-standing problems including violence and political instability.
Related: Biden struggles to find landlines as Trump lies in first presidential debate
The economy
The claim: Biden said the economy had “collapsed” and there were no jobs when Trump left office.
The facts: That’s a bit misleading: Employment numbers started rising quite quickly after an initial decline at the start of the pandemic, before Biden took office.
6 January
The claim: Trump dodged a question about the January 6 insurrection, accusing Nancy Pelosi of turning down the opportunity to deploy the National Guard.
The facts: This is false. There is no evidence that Pelosi has received an offer to deploy National Guard troops, and even if she had, she would not have the power to reject it. The President, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Defense have command of the National Guard in Washington, DC.
Tax cuts
The claim: Trump claimed that his tax cuts were the largest in history and that his administration had the best economy in history.
The facts: His tax cut was the fourth-largest since 1940, according to PolitiFact. According to a recent report from the nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Trump created about twice as much debt ($8.4 trillion) as Biden ($4.3 trillion). Before the pandemic hit, economic growth during his presidency averaged about 2.7% — good, but not as good as the 4% growth average during Bill Clinton’s administration. Unemployment before the pandemic was as low as 3.5% — again, not as low as during Clinton’s presidency.
‘Super predators’
The claim: Trump said Biden called Black Americans “superpredators.”
The facts: The superpredator theory of the 1990s suggested that growing numbers of unusually violent youth, particularly black boys, posed a threat to the country. The theory played on racial fears and was used to push policies that led to the disproportionate incarceration of black youth. There is no evidence that Biden used the phrase or attributed it to the theory behind it.
However, Biden’s passage of the 1994 crime bill has rightly come under scrutiny. Biden has defended the bill, saying certain aspects of it were implemented incorrectly.
