Trump-Harris debate included spicy rhetoric, but here's a fact check on the wild claims
FOX 2 - "In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs," said former President Donald Trump about illegal Haitian migrants in Ohio.
Arguably — the top highlight from Tuesday night’s presidential debate was this false claim by Trump. ABC News moderators fact-checked Trump in real time, but still that moment continued the conversation on misinformation in this election.
A recent report says two-thirds of Americans believe 76 percent of news on social media is biased. Nearly four in 10 Americans unknowingly share false news on social media. About half a million deepfakes were shared online last year.
Twenty-four hours after the first and — what may be — the last debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, FOX 2 spoke to Democratic US Senator Debbie Stabenow and Trump supporter and former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson.
FOX 2: "How do you think Michiganders process misinformation when it is put out there, because we are such a pivotal state when it comes to this election?"
"We just have to make sure in the end that we use our own common sense," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan). "Because when Donald Trump speaks, most of this is kind of like, a head-scratcher."
Detroit native Dr. Ben Carson who worked in the Trump administration spoke about what the former president needs to do to win a swing state like Michigan.
"They need to remind people what life was like four years ago - or before Covid hit," Carson said. "That was not a coincidence."
MORE: Miss the debate? Watch it here.
FOX 2 spoke to both sides to get their reaction from the debate.
"I don’t think the debate was effective in moving people from one direction to another direction," Carson said. "I don’t think a lot of new information was uncovered."
FOX 2: "To see (Harris) go head-to-head with Donald Trump, a former president, do you think she answered the call?"
"Oh there's no question," Stabenow said. "This is someone who can easily be president of the United States - she knows what families need."
We’ll break down some of the top claims from the debate where each candidate made their share of inaccurate statements.
Trump's debate claims
For example, Trump made numerous false statements - starting with no reports of immigrants eating animals.
Vice president nominee Tim Walz does not believe in killing babies after they are born - although late-term abortions are legal, but rare in Minnesota.
The FBI says crime numbers are down compared to Trump’s final year in office. In the first quarter of 2024, the FBI says murder is down 26 percent nationwide and rapes are down 25 percent.
In Detroit, city leaders say crime is at its lowest in six decades. Detroit in 2023 recorded the lowest amount of homicides since 1966.
And there are no reports of Democrats getting non-citizens to vote illegally - though some alarmist conservatives claim a mass amnesty plan by Democrats could bring it about. There, however, is no credible evidence of this by the Democrat Party.
Now, we need to provide context to the economic gains boasts by Trump,
Trump’s fastest economic growth was three percent in 2018 — which ranks as second to former President Bill Clinton. Trump's term showed gains but his administration's final year in office wiped those out due to Covid. Trump's economic growth in 2018 ranks second behind Clinton, who grew it four percent a year for four years.
Harris' debate claims
The Biden-Harris administration says it’s added over 800,000 manufacturing jobs which is false. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that total was really at 739,000.
Harris continues to associate Trump with the controversial Project 2025. It was written by the Heritage Foundation and other conservative think tanks as a proposal should the Republican party re-take the White House and Senate - and not Trump.
In that same category, Trump has never supported a national abortion ban which Harris said he would carry out under Project 2025, and he claims to support IVF and has proposed having the government or insurance pay for 100 percent of the procedure.
Harris also claimed on Jan. 6 that 140 police officers were injured and "some died." One officer, Brian Sicknick died one day later from natural causes brought on by strokes. Four Trump supporters died in the riot, including one shot fatally by police.
The vice president said Trump promised a "bloodbath for the country" if he were not elected alluding to political violence, which was inaccurate. His comments were regarding auto manufacturing under policies from the Biden-Harris administration if they were to be re-elected.
Harris brought up Charlottesville racial protests involving some white supremacists who attended a rally in Virginia, claiming Trump said there were "fine people on both sides." Trump was referring to those wishing to tear down historic statues due to America's sometimes problematic past with those wishing to preserve history - and not the racist demonstrators who showed up as a third party to the protest. One example of the debated conflict at the time, which was the Robert E. Lee monument in Charlottesville.
It’s a lot to unpack, but this clarity is crucial in such a high-stakes election.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former US President Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Democrat Kamala Harris opened her