Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris recently engaged in their first presidential debate where they debated over their plans for the nation and the economy, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia. During the debate, both candidates made claims about each other’s records and plans which were fact-checked by CBS News Confirmed team. Trump made false claims that millions of migrants are pouring into the U.S monthly, which was proven to be inaccurate as the number of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border has not reached the figures cited by Trump.
Harris claimed that Trump would enact a sales tax resulting in $4,000 more a year for middle-class families, which was partially true but needed context. The potential costs varied depending on the scale of tariffs implemented by Trump, with estimates showing a potential tax increase for middle-income families. Trump also falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs and pets in Springfield, Ohio, which officials confirmed to be untrue, with no credible reports of such incidents.
Additionally, Harris claimed that Trump would sign a national abortion ban if reelected, which was inconclusive as Trump has not explicitly endorsed such a ban. Trump made false claims about Governor Tim Walz and a national abortion ban, stating that Walz supports execution of infants after birth, which was proven to be incorrect as Walz has signed a law ensuring medical care for infants born alive.
There were also misleading claims made by both candidates, with Trump stating that Harris would end fracking in Pennsylvania on day one, which was proven to be misleading as Harris has stated she would not ban fracking. Trump falsely claimed that Harris was busing in and paying people to attend her rallies, based on a fabricated social media post. Trump also distanced himself from Project 2025, a controversial initiative with ties to his administration, claiming to have no involvement in it despite his past policies aligning with proposals in the blueprint.
On the other hand, Harris claimed to have created over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs while she was Vice President, which was proven to be misleading as the data showed a lower number of jobs created during the Biden-Harris administration. Lastly, Trump touted getting more votes than any sitting president, which was true, but challenger Joe Biden ultimately won more votes in the 2020 presidential election. Trump also falsely claimed that crime in the country is through the roof, despite FBI data showing decreases in crime rates during the first two years of the Biden administration.
