Trump vs Biden: 8 lies and inconsistencies in the US presidential debate verified by the BBC

The economy, abortion, immigration and taxes were some of the topics on which Donald Trump and Joe Biden were questioned by the CNN moderator during their first debate ahead of the United States presidential elections.

The candidates exchanged statements and remarks on these issues as they tried to make their case to voters ahead of the November elections.

However, Arbitrators adopt a hands-off approachWithout questioning the veracity of Trump and Biden’s statements or acting on their statements.

BBC Verify, the BBC’s verification unit, is analysing some of the claims made by rival candidates.

Trump accused Biden of being behind the criminal case that led to his recent conviction in New York on charges of falsifying documents to conceal payments made to famous actress Stormy Daniels.

statement: “Basically, (Biden) went after his political rival because he thought he was going to hurt me,” Trump said.

Decision: The case was brought by New York prosecutors, not any federal authority. The Justice Department does not approve the charging decisions of the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

On the issue of abortion, Biden said he would reinstate the so-called Roe v. Wade law (which provides a constitutional right to abortion) if he was re-elected.

When asked if he supports limiting the time frame during which a woman can terminate her pregnancy, the current president indicated his support for the framework contemplated in Roe v. Wade.

statement: Trump responded: “That means they can take the life of the baby in the ninth month (of pregnancy) and even after birth” and added, “As we speak, she is willing to take the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby.”

Decision: Fake. The Roe v. Wade framework states that during the second trimester, the state may regulate abortion only to protect the woman’s health. During the third trimester, the state may regulate or restrict abortion for the sake of the fetus, except when it is necessary to preserve the woman’s life or health.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to overturn Roe v WadeA landmark Supreme Court decision that guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide until the fetus is viable outside the womb (after 24 weeks).

The verdict was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, which included Three judges appointed by Trump,

It is illegal to kill a newborn baby in every state in America, and no state is trying to pass a law to change it.

Less than 1% of abortions in the US happen after 21 weeksAccording to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And 93.5% of abortions happen in the first trimester i.e. before 13 weeks.

statement: Joe Biden said: “I changed it so that we now have a situation where there are 40% fewer people crossing the border illegally, which is better than when he left office.”

Decision: Mostly true. Since Biden pushed for rules in early June to restrict the right of those crossing the border from Mexico to seek asylum, The average daily number of undocumented immigrants is more or less 2,000That’s according to internal Department of Homeland Security data obtained by BBC sister network CBS News.

This represents a 47% drop from May’s average daily figure of 3,800.

In 2019, during the Trump administration, undocumented border crossings peaked at 4,300. But there were months during the Covid pandemic when illegal crossings averaged fewer than 2,000.

From February 2021, US Customs and Border Protection says 9.6 million encounters between its border agents and border crossers between Mexico and the United States.

This does not necessarily represent the number who have entered the US, as it includes cases where there have been multiple encounters with the same person, as well as people who have been turned away or deported.

statement: Biden said he is the only president in the past decade who “hasn’t had as many soldiers die anywhere in the world as he (Trump) does.”

Decision: Three US Army recruits were killed in a drone attack in Jordan in January this year.

And during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, 13 soldiers killed in suicide attack at Kabul airport It was carried out by IS-K, the Afghan branch of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group.

According to data from the Defense Casualty Analysis System database, 65 soldiers were killed in combat during Trump’s presidency from 2017-20,

statement: “His deficit is the largest in the history of our country,” Trump said of Biden.

Decision: According to US Treasury data, the deficit was at its peak when Trump took over the White House US$3.13 billion (3,130,000,000,000).

By 2023, During the Biden administration, this had fallen to US$1.7 trillionHowever, it is estimated that it will increase again to US$1.9 trillion in 2024.

statement: Trump said Biden “wants to raise your taxes four times…he wants the Trump tax cuts to expire.”

Decision: President Biden’s recent U.S. budget makes no reference to quadrupling taxes on poor or middle-class families. In fact, he proposes tax cuts for families making less than $400,000 a year — which is the majority — as well as tax increases for those making more than that amount.

Trump introduced sweeping tax cuts in 2017, many of which are set to expire in 2025.

Even if they are not increased, it would still not be equivalent to a four-fold increase in domestic taxes.

An analysis by the Tax Policy Center based on Budget 2024 concluded that the top 1% of earners would see a tax increase of 9.7%.

statement: At one point in the debate, Biden said Black unemployment is “at its lowest level in a long time.”

Decision: While it’s true that the African-American unemployment rate saw a record one-month drop during the Biden administration, the claim lacks context.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for black Americans was 4.8% under Biden in April 2023, a record drop at the time,

Since then, has stood up againReaching 6.1% in May 2024.

However, during Trump’s presidency the unemployment rate among African Americans fell to 5.3% in August and September 2019, which was also a record low for that time.

statement: Trump assures in debate that Biden inherited “almost no inflation” when he took office and still has it now “Inflation is killing us”,

Decision: When Biden began his administration in 2021, inflation was at 1.4%, according to the most widely used measure, the Consumer Price Index, which is based on average spending in urban areas.

it There was a significant increase during the first two years of his governmentreaching a high of 9.1% in the year to June 2022.

This figure was on par with other Western countries that experienced high inflation rates in 2021 and 2022, with the main contributing factors being global supply chain problems, the consequences of the Covid pandemic, and the war in Ukraine.

Since then, US inflation has declined steadilyWith a final monthly figure of 3.3% in May.

Since Biden took office in January 2021, Overall prices have increased by around 20%,

Many commentators have focused on the role of CNN journalists Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, the journalists who were moderating the debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

However, in most cases, the questions they asked were specific Candidates avoided giving direct answers And on several occasions – Trump in particular – have come out with some of the absurd rhetoric discussed above.

But none of the moderators specifically challenged the statements. Journalist Dana Bash repeated the same question multiple times. She did so twice with Biden and, in another conversation, she did so three times with Trump. That was the extent of her interventions.

Tapper and Bash will take place under debate rules adopted by CNN Inquirer and not refereeTherefore, there was no way for them to question or follow the vague answers of the candidates.

Biden and Trump accused each other of being “liars”, but their statements were left to the judgment of the audience, who, if not well informed, would take what was said as a creed.

Gayle King, a journalist and presenter for BBC affiliate CBS, made the comment The lack of factual verification benefited Trump Because it appeared he was more in control of his reactions. He said, “If you didn’t know the facts, you would think what he said meant a lot.”

Domenico Montanaro of American public radio, NPR, also criticized the “lack of moderation” in the debate, which allowed Trump to make incorrect statements without interruption or correction.

“They essentially left it in the hands of the candidates, and with Biden unable to speak in real time and the moderators refusing to intervene, viewers were left with a big salad of rotten eggs and moldy lettuce that was passed off as facts, he said.

*This article was based on research by the BBC Verify team

And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.