Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met for their first and likely only debate of the 2024 campaign season. Both candidates, neck and neck in the polls, addressed critical issues like immigration, the economy, and abortion. With just 55 days until Election Day, the debate allowed each candidate to outline their vision for America while also defending their records against pointed attacks.
Key Debate Topics: Economy
Donald Trump argued that his administration maintained low inflation, unlike the Biden-Harris administration, which he blamed for the highest inflation rates in recent history. However, fact-checkers pointed out that inflation soared globally due to the pandemic and supply chain disruptions, not solely due to U.S. government spending.
Many prices were depressed early in the pandemic, however, so the comparison is less flattering if you start the clock when President Biden and Vice President Harris took office. Since early 2021, consumer prices have risen 19.6% while average wages have risen 16.9%. Wage gains have been outpacing price increases for over a year, so that gap should eventually close.
Immigration Sparks Fierce Exchange
Trump targeted Harris for the Biden administration’s handling of immigration, claiming that migrants were responsible for a crime surge in towns across the U.S. He specifically referenced Venezuelan gangs in Aurora, Colorado, but fact-checks revealed no takeover of towns by immigrants as Trump suggested.
Trump also claims that migrants are driving up crime rates in the U.S. That is not true. Researchers from Stanford University found that since the 1960s, immigrants have been 60% less likely to be incarcerated than people born in the U.S. The CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, found undocumented immigrants in Texas were 37% less likely to be convicted of a crime.
Abortion Debate Gets Heated
Abortion was another flashpoint, with Trump accusing Harris of supporting extreme measures, including “abortions after birth.” Harris firmly rejected these claims, pointing out that no state allows such procedures, and most abortions happen in the first trimester.
As ABC News anchor Linsey Davis mentioned during her real-time fact check, there is no state where it is legal to kill a baby after birth (Trump called it “execution”). A report from KFF earlier this year also noted that abortions “after birth” are illegal in every state.
According to the Pew Research Center, the overwhelming majority of abortions — 93% — take place during the first trimester. Pew says 1% take place after 21 weeks. Most of those take place before 24 weeks, the approximate timeline for fetal viability, according to a report by KFF Health News.
The debate, marked by sharp disagreements, offered voters a clear view of each candidate’s policy stance ahead of the crucial 2024 election.
Source:
NPR fact checked the Harris-Trump presidential debate. Here’s what we found
About Post Author
