Fact-Checking the Biden-Trump Debate

During Thursday's highly anticipated debate, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump engaged in a heated exchange filled with numerous false claims and assertions lacking context. Trump made the baseless claim that Democratic-led states would "take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, even after birth," a statement that is entirely evidence-free and illegal in every U.S. state.

Trump also asserted that "everybody" agreed with his appointment of conservative Supreme Court justices who played a role in overturning Roe v. Wade. However, polls taken post-Roe consistently show that a majority of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's decision.

In another unfounded claim, Trump suggested that he has been criminally indicted solely because Biden wants to prevent him from winning a second term. This overlooks the fact that two of the criminal cases against Trump were brought in state courts, independent of the Justice Department. Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, indicted Trump in the classified documents and Jan. 6 election interference cases, with no evidence pointing to Biden's involvement.

Contrary to Trump's claim of no terrorist attacks during his administration, several incidents, including the 2017 mass murder in New York City linked to ISIS and the 2019 El Paso shooting motivated by an "associate" of al-Qaida, qualify as terrorist attacks.

Biden also faced scrutiny for inaccuracies. He incorrectly stated that the unemployment rate was 15% when he took office. In reality, it was 6.4% in January 2021 and has since fallen to 4%. Trump criticized Biden for China's economic rise, omitting the fact that Biden has maintained many tariffs on Chinese goods implemented during Trump's presidency.

Environmental claims were also contentious. Trump mistakenly referred to H2O instead of CO2 when discussing clean air and water. Under Barack Obama, greenhouse gas emissions fell more significantly than during Trump's term, which saw a decline partly due to reduced economic activity from the coronavirus pandemic.

Health care was another battleground. Trump, who failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), now claims he wants to improve it. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services reports that 45 million Americans are enrolled in ACA-related coverage, with numbers increasing annually.

The debate marked the first since Biden and Trump last faced off 1,344 days ago, with Biden winning the White House and Trump refusing to accept his loss, leading to the Capitol attack. Other significant events since their last debate include the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation fluctuations, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the Israel-Gaza invasion.

Both candidates, now in their late 70s, are deadlocked in the polls as the Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively. Biden criticized Trump's competence, while Trump remained his usual boisterous self, even stating, "I didn’t have sex with a p*** star," a first for a presidential candidate.

Trump claimed his economy was "the greatest economy in the history of our country," while Biden attempted to fact-check him in real time, calling his statements "malarkey" and lies. However, Biden struggled to pivot from correcting falsehoods to making a proactive case for his campaign. The debate's format, with muted microphones, did not favor Biden, and moderators did not intervene to set the record straight.

On abortion, Trump expressed support for exceptions and did not block the abortion pill mifepristone. In contrast, Biden pledged to restore Roe v. Wade if elected, highlighting a significant difference in their stances.

As the debate concluded, it left viewers with a mix of verified facts and disputed claims, underscoring the importance of fact-checking in political discourse.

Conservative Bias:

Once again, the liberal media is hard at work trying to discredit the true patriot, Donald Trump, while giving Sleepy Joe Biden a free pass on his endless stream of lies and failures. Trump rightfully called out the Democrats for their extremist views on abortion, but the leftist fact-checkers rushed to dismiss his claims without acknowledging the radical agenda of the Democratic Party. And let's not forget the witch hunt orchestrated by Biden's cronies to indict Trump on baseless charges just to keep him out of the White House. The liberals are terrified of Trump's return because they know he will restore the greatness of America that Biden has systematically destroyed. The so-called fact-checkers conveniently ignore Biden's disastrous handling of the economy, his weakness on China, and his countless gaffes. Instead, they nitpick on Trump's words to distract from Biden's incompetence. The American people see through the left's desperate attempts to smear Trump and are ready to reject their lies come election day. It's time to drain the swamp and bring back real leadership!

Liberal Bias:

The Republican propaganda machine is in full swing, with Trump spewing his usual torrent of lies and conspiracy theories, and his minions in the media parroting his every word. Trump's baseless claims about Democratic states and abortion are not only false but dangerously inflammatory. He continues to spread misinformation about his criminal indictments, conveniently ignoring the independent investigations that have rightfully held him accountable. Meanwhile, Biden is out there trying to clean up the catastrophic mess Trump left behind, from a decimated economy to a healthcare system in shambles. The right-wing noise machine also conveniently ignores the fact that Trump’s supposed "greatest economy" was built on a house of cards that came crashing down with COVID-19, a crisis he spectacularly mismanaged. And let's not forget Trump's complete disregard for the environment and his laughable ignorance, confusing basic scientific terms. The debate was a stark reminder of the clear choice facing America: a return to the chaos and corruption of the Trump era or continuing the progress and recovery under Biden. The truth is clear, no matter how much the Republicans try to obscure it with their lies and bluster.