The Democrats recently concluded a star-studded, four-day convention where Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the party’s nomination for president. While the festivities were high on entertainment and praise for Harris and running mate Tim Walz, there were some instances of false information or statements that required additional context. For example, Harris claimed that Trump would ban medication abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress. However, Trump has made conflicting statements on this issue, with some suggesting he would support a national ban on abortion around 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Another claim made during the convention linked Trump to Project 2025, which was said to abandon troops, veterans, allies, and principles. While Trump has disavowed the initiative, stating he hasn’t read it and doesn’t know anything about it, there are connections between some individuals involved in Project 2025 and Trump’s orbit. There were also allegations made about Trump’s comments regarding captured or killed military service members, with conflicting reports on whether he referred to them as “suckers” and “losers.”
During the convention, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar touted Tim Walz’s accomplishments as governor of the state, mentioning achievements such as delivering paid leave, school lunches, and the biggest tax cut in Minnesota history. While it is true that Walz signed legislation for these programs, critics argue that his characterization of the tax cut as the largest in state history may be misleading. Additionally, former President Bill Clinton claimed that since the end of the Cold War, America had created 51 million new jobs, with Democrats leading in job creation over Republicans, except for one net gain under Republican administrations.
Further claims during the convention included one about Trump’s alleged comments on punishing women for having abortions. While Trump initially said women who get illegal abortions should face punishment during his 2016 campaign, he later clarified that he believes abortion providers, not patients, should be held responsible. Overall, the convention featured a mix of factual claims, false information, and statements that required additional context. Associated Press fact-checkers contributed to evaluating the accuracy of these statements.
