Donald Trump and Kamala Harris went face to face of their first televised debate within the US election marketing campaign.
In 90 minutes of typically fiery exchanges, the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates traded claims over key election points together with the financial system, immigration and abortion.
BBC Confirm has been inspecting them.
Are migrants in Ohio consuming pets?
CLAIM: Trump: “In Springfield, they’re [immigrants] consuming the canine, the people who got here in, they’re consuming the cats, they’re consuming the pets of people who stay there”.
VERDICT: There isn’t any proof that that is taking place.
Trump’s remark adopted a baseless declare – which was shared by his vice-presidential candidate JD Vance – that immigrants from Haiti who’ve just lately settled in Springfield, Ohio, have been consuming pets.
Springfield metropolis officers instructed BBC Confirm: “There have been no credible studies or particular claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by people inside the immigrant neighborhood.”
You’ll be able to learn extra here.
Was Trump-era unemployment the worst for the reason that Thirties?
CLAIM: Harris: “Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment for the reason that Nice Melancholy”.
VERDICT: That is false.
On the finish of Trump’s time period of workplace in January 2021, the unemployment price was 6.4%.
However it has been larger for the reason that Nice Melancholy.
In October 2009, unemployment peaked at 10% in a interval of deep financial recession.
It has fallen steadily since, aside from a pointy peak in the course of the Covid pandemic, and in the latest information for August 2024, unemployment stood at 4.2%.
Are tens of millions of individuals coming into the US from prisons and asylums?
CLAIM: Trump: “We have now tens of millions of individuals pouring into our nation from prisons and jails, from psychological establishments and insane asylums”.
VERDICT: There isn’t any proof for these type of numbers.
There have been about 10 million encounters with migrants crossing over the US border since January 2021.
There are not any publicly accessible figures on what number of of them have served time in jail or come from psychological establishments however there’s some information on what number of have earlier felony convictions.
Of the 1.4 million apprehensions of individuals crossing the border illegally up to now this monetary 12 months (to September 2024) – and the place the Border Patrol was capable of test towards legislation enforcement databases – about 14,700 people had previous criminal convictions.
That is equal to roughly 1% of all border apprehensions on this interval and doesn’t quantity to the “tens of millions” Trump is claiming.
Will Trump signal a nationwide abortion ban?
CLAIM: Harris: “If Donald Trump had been to be re-elected, he’ll signal a nationwide abortion ban”.
VERDICT: That is deceptive. Trump has denied that he would signal a nationwide ban if elected president.
He has mentioned that he would depart limits on abortion entry as much as particular person states to resolve.
Right here, Harris additionally talked about “his Venture 2025” – a reference to a doc printed by the right-wing Heritage Basis outlining a listing of coverage proposals that they imagine a Trump presidency ought to implement.
It doesn’t suggest a nationwide ban both, but it surely does advocate limiting abortion entry.
Trump has distanced himself from the doc, saying: “I do know nothing about Venture 2025. I do not know who’s behind it.”
Many former Trump administration officers are related to Venture 2025.
Was inflation beneath Biden worst in US historical past?
CLAIM: Trump: “The worst inflation we have ever had” [was under Biden].
VERDICT: That is false.
Underneath President Biden, inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, at a time when costs had been rising sharply in lots of nations.
Inflation was final above 9% in 1981, but it surely has been considerably larger than that at a number of different factors in US historical past.
Since its peak in mid-2022, inflation has dropped to 2.9%, for the 12 months to July 2024. However costs are nonetheless rising and it’s a key problem for a lot of voters.
Would Trump tariffs price households $4,000?
CLAIM: Harris: “Economists have mentioned that that Trump gross sales tax would really consequence for center class households in about $4,000 extra a 12 months”.
VERDICT: Harris calls Trump’s proposed tax on imports a gross sales tax. Some economists have estimated that these tariffs may price households this a lot. Others have decrease estimates.
Trump insists the fee could be felt by international nations however economists imagine there could be an financial price for US importers and customers.
The $4,000 determine comes from analysis – by the left-of-centre assume tank the Centre for American Progress – of Trump’s pledge to extend tariffs on all imported items to 10-20% and all items imported from China to 60%.
They took the quantity the US buys in items from overseas yearly, found out how a lot the brand new taxes on these items could be and divided this by the variety of households within the US.
It really works out at $4,600 per family, however whenever you take a look at “center revenue” households you get a determine of $3,900 a 12 months.
Different estimates are decrease. The Peterson Institute thinks the affect could be nearer to $1,700 a 12 months (for tariffs at 10%) or $2,500 (at 20%).
Is crime down in Venezuela as a result of it is sending criminals to the US?
CLAIM: Trump: “Crime in Venezuela… is means down as a result of they’ve taken their criminals off the streets and given them to her [Harris] to place into our nation”.
VERDICT: There isn’t any proof that Venezuela is doing this. Crime ranges are down however consultants say that is due to the state of the financial system.
The Venezuelan authorities doesn’t publish dependable crime figures, however the impartial Venezuelan Observatory of Violence does.
The Observatory’s 2023 annual report mentioned that violent deaths that 12 months – akin to homicides – had been down by 1 / 4 in comparison with 2022.
The Observatory instructed BBC Confirm: “Crime is lowered in Venezuela by a discount in crime alternatives: financial institution robberies disappear as a result of there is no such thing as a cash to steal; kidnappings are lowered as a result of there is no such thing as a money to pay ransoms.”
It mentioned it had seen no proof that the Venezuelan authorities was sending criminals to the US.
Reporting by Lucy Gilder, Merlyn Thomas, Daniele Palumbo, Gerry Georgieva & Kayleen Devlin.
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