The candidates repeated talking points from the stump and added some new twists on the facts.
FactChecking the Final 2020 Presidential Debate
Issues: coronavirus
Biden on the Stump
We fact-check nine claims made by the Democratic presidential nominee in recent campaign speeches.
Doctors in Video Falsely Equate COVID-19 With a ‘Normal Flu Virus’
A video posted by a European-based group called World Doctors Alliance falsely claims the novel coronavirus is “a normal flu virus” and there is no COVID-19 pandemic. Actually, COVID-19 is deadlier than the seasonal flu, and some European nations are combatting a second wave of cases.
FactChecking Trump’s Immunity Claims
President Trump said that once he came down with COVID-19, people for partisan reasons shifted from saying immunity was lifelong to saying it lasted only a few months. Experts haven’t changed their estimates.
Trump’s False Claims About Biden Wealth, Recovery Wishes
At a rally in North Carolina, President Donald Trump claimed Joe Biden lives in “beautiful houses all over the place” and must be “corrupt” to afford such a lifestyle. Biden owns two homes and had some lucrative years in the private sector.
FactChecking Trump’s Town Hall
In an Oct. 15 town hall on NBC News, President Donald Trump made false and misleading claims on the coronavirus, the economy and more.
Trump Distorts WHO’s Lockdown Comments
At campaign rallies and in tweets, President Trump falsely said the World Health Organization changed its position and “admitted that Donald Trump was right” about lockdowns. But the agency has said no such thing.
Atlas, Paul Mislead on Preexisting COVID-19 ‘Immunity’
Coronavirus task force member Dr. Scott Atlas and Sen. Rand Paul have misleadingly suggested that much of the U.S. population has immunity to the coronavirus due to previous exposure to similar viruses. But scientists say any possible protection is theoretical.
Video Shows Arrest at a Protest, Not a Church Service
A tweet, shared by President Donald Trump, mischaracterizes a video that purports to show “Americans being ARRESTED for holding outdoor church services.” The video actually shows a demonstration in Idaho against a public health order regarding COVID-19 requirements held by a church in a city hall parking lot.
Trump’s False Claim That Michigan Is ‘Closed’
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the state of Michigan is “closed,” specifically and falsely mentioning churches and schools.