In the first debate clash of the 2024 campaign, the two candidates unleashed a flurry of false and misleading statements.
FactChecking the Biden-Trump Debate
Stories by Lori Robertson
Managing Editor, FactCheck.org
FactChecking Trump’s Immigration-Related Claims in Phoenix and Las Vegas
Former President Donald Trump has made illegal immigration and its impact on the U.S. a focus of his campaign – but several of his talking points are wrong or misleading. Here’s what we found among his immigration claims at recent events in the electoral swing states of Arizona and Nevada.
Q&A on Biden’s Border Order
On June 4, President Joe Biden announced new measures to restrict asylum eligibility for those apprehended while trying to enter the U.S. illegally across the southern border. Here, we answer several questions about Biden’s action.
FactChecking Biden’s Promises ‘Kept’
President Joe Biden punctuated a campaign speech in Philadelphia with the phrase “a promise made and a promise kept,” when chronicling several actions his administration has taken. But in a few cases, he hasn’t kept the promise or he misleadingly described his accomplishments.
Q&A on Trump’s Criminal Conviction
We answer some of the questions raised by former President Donald Trump’s conviction in New York.
Trump’s Repeated Claims on His New York Hush Money Trial
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty by a jury in New York on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal election law violations after buying the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels, shortly before the 2016 election. Trump repeatedly has made false and misleading statements about the case and trial.
Biden’s ‘Buy America’ Spin
President Joe Biden has repeatedly claimed that past presidents, including his predecessor, have “ignored” or “failed to uphold” laws requiring that federal government money be used to purchase only U.S. materials or products. Biden has expanded and emphasized such requirements, but we found no indication other presidents didn’t abide by the laws on the books during their tenures.
FactChecking Biden on Inflation, Other Claims
When President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the U.S. annual rate of inflation was 1.4% — far from the 9% inflation Biden falsely said in a May 8 interview that he inherited. Inflation rose quickly in Biden’s first year, but it didn’t hit 9% until 17 months into his presidency.
Biden’s Numbers, April 2024 Update
Our latest quarterly update on the state of the U.S. during the Biden presidency.
FactChecking Biden’s Swing-State Stops in Pennsylvania
While former President Donald Trump spent much of his week in court, President Joe Biden visited the swing state of Pennsylvania for three days and gave speeches in Scranton, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. We flagged some false and misleading claims, including several common talking points.