Factchecked: Trump and Biden’s presidential debate claims

Moderators in the first presidential debate in 2024 took a completely hands-off approach to factchecking the candidates, letting lies and half-truths, most frequently from Donald Trump, remain unchallenged.

The former presiden frequently ignored the questions posed by CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, instead talking about whatever he wanted. In a few instances, they reiterated the question and gave Trump a chance to answer it again.

Joe Biden sometimes pushed back on Trump’s claims, and vice versa, though not always with specificity beyond saying the other was lying.

The light moderation left lingering lies, though the network said before the debate that the moderators wouldn’t intercede.

Related: Biden’s poor performance and Trump’s lies: four key takeaways from debate

“Obviously, if there is some egregious fact that needs to be checked or the record needs to be made clear, Jake and Dana can do that,” David Chalian, CNN’s political director, told the Associated Press before the debate. “But that’s not their role. They are not here to participate in this debate. They are here to facilitate a debate between Trump and Biden.”

Here are the facts on some of the false claims offered during Thursday’s debate.

Abortion

The claim: Trump says Democrats support abortion until birth and that “everybody” wanted to overturn Roe v Wade.

The facts: Later abortions are a common line of attack among Republicans – but it’s based on a myth. Less than 1% of abortions in the US are performed at or past 21 weeks, largely because of fetal abnormalities or lack of access to care earlier in pregnancy.

And Roe remained popular throughout the half-century it was in effect. Some anti-abortion activists have also argued that the federal government can use an existing law to implement a federal ban on abortion. The US supreme court has also dealt with two abortion cases so far this year – evidence that the issue is far from settled at the national level.

The environment

The claim: Trump had “the best environmental numbers ever”.

The facts: It’s not clear what “environmental numbers” Trump is referring to, making it impossible to factcheck. But the Guardian has compiled 75 ways Trump made the country dirtier and the climate warmer.

Prescription drug reform

The claim: Biden oversold his prescription drug reforms.

The facts: Biden said seniors’ out-of-pocket costs were capped at $200, but it’s $2,000. The cap on insulin costs out of pocket are $35 a month, more than the $15 Biden claimed.

The border

The claim: Trump’s border was the most secure in history.

The facts: Trump said that when he left the presidency, the US had the most secure border in history, and later said “hardly” anyone was coming through.

While migrant apprehensions have surged under Biden, the increases began in 2020, during Trump’s presidency. The reasons people were seeking to migrate include economic stress caused by the pandemic and natural disasters, long-running issues, including violence and political instability.

Related: Biden struggles to land lines as Trump lies in first presidential debate

The economy

The claim: Biden said the economy had “collapsed” and there were no jobs when Trump left office.

The facts: That’s a bit misleading – employment rates began to tick up pretty quickly after an initial dip at the beginning of the pandemic, before Biden took office.

January 6

The claim: Trump deflected a question about the January 6 insurrection, blaming Nancy Pelosi for turning down a chance to deploy the national guard.

The facts: This is false. There is no evidence Pelosi got an offer to deploy national guard troops, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have the power to turn it down. The president, defense secretary and army secretary have command of the Washington DC national guard.

Tax cuts

The claim: Trump claimed his tax cuts were the largest in history and that his administration had the greatest economy in history.

The facts: His tax cut was the fourth-largest since 1940, according to PolitiFact. According to the non-profit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s recent report, Trump created about twice as much debt ($8.4tn) as Biden ($4.3tn). Before the pandemic hit, economic growth during his presidency averaged at about 2.7% – that’s good but not as good as the 4% average growth during Bill Clinton’s administration. Unemployment before the pandemic was as low as 3.5% – again, not as low as during Clinton’s presidency.

‘Superpredators’

The claim: Trump said that Biden called Black Americans “superpredators”.

The facts: The superpredator theory in the 1990s suggested that a growing number of unusually violent young people, especially Black boys, posed a threat to the country. The theory capitalized on racialized fear and was used to encourage policies that led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black youth. There is no evidence Biden used the phrase or ascribed to the theory behind it.

However, Biden’s endorsement of the 1994 crime bill has justifiably come under scrutiny. Biden has defended the bill, and said that aspects of it were wrongly implemented.