Presidential debate fact check: What Trump, Biden got right (and wrong)

Andre Byik, Joedy McCreary, Chris Mueller and Brad Sylvester, USA TODAY
Updated

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both strayed repeatedly from the truth as they squared off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season.

Here are the claims the USA TODAY Fact Check Team dug into.

Biden claim: We lowered the cost of an insulin shot from $400 to $15

“We brought down the price of prescription drugs, which is a major issue for many people, to $15 for – for an insulin shot, as opposed to $400.”

This is false. The Inflation Reduction Act that Biden signed into law in August 2022 capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month for all seniors on Medicare, according to the White House. Several pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, followed suit and limited the monthly cost of the drug to $35 per month as well. But there is no evidence Biden limited the cost of insulin beyond this.

The price of insulin was also never set at $400, though many paid about this much. The price a person pays for insulin depends on a variety of factors, including what type of insulin they are using, insurance status and whether they're eligible for a rebate from the drugmaker, according to NBC News. While estimates vary, one government study published in December 2022 reported that in 2019, the average insulin user with private insurance spent $456 on insulin annually, while those with Medicare spent $449 a year and those without health insurance paid $996, comparatively.

-Brad Sylvester

Biden claim: He is endorsed by Border Patrol agents

“The border patrolmen endorsed me, endorsed my position.”

This is partly false.

The National Border Patrol Council – the labor union that represents more than 18,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents – posted to X, formerly Twitter, minutes after Biden made the claim and said, “To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden.”

But the union, which endorsed Trump in 2020, supported the proposed bipartisan border agreement that Biden backed and Trump opposed, NBC News reported in February.

– Joedy McCreary

Biden claim: Illegal border crossings dropped 40% after his June directive

“I've changed (the law) in a way that now you're in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally.”

Biden took executive action on June 4 that authorized the U.S. to turn away migrants who enter the country illegally when crossing levels are high. The policy is triggered anytime unlawful crossings hit an average of 2,500 people a day in a given week.

In remarks posted on June 26, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said Border Patrol encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border had dropped by over 40% since Biden took action.

However, immigration experts have cautioned that it’s difficult to point to any one reason for a drop in crossings at the border, PolitiFact noted in its fact check on this claim.

Immigration rights organizations have sued the Biden administration over the new asylum restrictions at the border.

–Andre Byik

Trump claim: Everybody wanted Roe v. Wade overturned

“I put three great Supreme Court justices on the court, and they happened to vote in favor of killing Roe v. Wade and moving it back to the states. This is something that everybody wanted.”

This is not an accurate summary of public opinion on the question. Numerous polls show most Americans were not in favor of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. For example, a poll conducted by Pew Research Center in July 2022 found that 57% of respondents said they disapproved of the overturning of the landmark decision. Another PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll conducted in May 2022 (before the case was decided) found that 64% of respondents were opposed to reversing Roe v. Wade.

There is little evidence opinions have changed much since the decision. A Marquette Law School poll conducted in February 2024 found that 67% of adults opposed the ruling, while a Gallup poll from June 2023 found that 60% of respondents said overturning Roe v. Wade was a “bad thing.”

-Brad Sylvester

Biden claim: Historians voted Trump ‘worst’ president in history

“(Trump) was the worst in all of American history. … He can argue (the historians) are wrong, but that’s what they voted.”

Biden was presumably referring to the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, which is a joint project from University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus and Coastal Carolina University professor Justin Vaughn.

The survey respondents in late 2023 voted Trump the lowest in “overall presidential greatness,” behind James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and Franklin Pierce. Abraham Lincoln was rated highest. Joe Biden ranked at No. 14.

Respondents included scholars who had recently published peer-reviewed academic research in related scholarly journals or academic presses and current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, which the survey described as “the foremost organization of social science experts in presidential politics.”

Out of 525 respondents invited to participate, the survey received 154 usable responses, yielding a 29% response rate.

–Andre Byik

Trump claim: I brought in National Guard during 2020 Minnesota unrest

“If I didn’t bring in the National Guard, that city (Minneapolis) would have been destroyed.”

It was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, who activated the state’s National Guard to respond to unrest following the death of George Floyd, according to a press release issued by Walz’s office on May 28, 2020.

Walz said at the time that he was responding to “local leaders’ request for Minnesota National Guard assistance to protect peaceful demonstrators, neighbors and small businesses in Minnesota.”

CNN reporter Daniel Dale also looked into the claim back in 2020, detailing the timeline of events provided to the network by Walz’s press secretary, Teddy Tschann. In a statement to CNN, Tschann said Walz activated the National Guard at the request of the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, before the governor spoke with the White House.

“Did President Trump ‘call out’ the Guard? No,” Tschann said in the statement, according to CNN.

On May 30, 2020, the Minnesota National Guard posted on Twitter, now X, that Walz had “announced the full mobilization” of the Guard for the first time since World War II.

–Andre Byik

Biden claim: Trump praised Hitler, saying he did 'some good things'

"This is a guy who says Hitler has done some good things"

Biden's quote of Trump is a reference to comments the former president allegedly made while talking with his White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, in 2018 during a trip to Paris, according to excerpts from an upcoming book by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender.

“Well, Hitler did a lot of good things,” Trump reportedly told Kelly, according to a CNN report.

Trump later denied that he made the comments and denied that the conversation took place. Liz Harrington, a Trump spokesperson, told CNN the claim is "totally false."

"President Trump never said this," Harrington said. "It is made up fake news, probably by a general who was incompetent and was fired."

Trump has previously faced criticism for saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and describing his political opponents as "vermin," reminding many of language used by authoritarian leaders.

- Chris Mueller

Trump claim: Record ‘approval rating’ from VA

“I had the highest approval rating in the history of the VA.”

This is both false and a mischaracterization of what the quarterly customer experience surveys from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs measure.

The Veteran Signals surveys track the proportion of servicemembers who express having trust in the VA. It's not a presidential approval rating.

It has topped 80% twice: It was at 80% in 2020 during Trump’s administration, and it reached a high of 80.4% in May under Biden.

Trump made a similar version of the claim during a May rally in Wisconsin, according to a report from Wisconsin Watch.

– Joedy McCreary

Trump claim: More illicit drugs coming into US under Biden

“The number of drugs coming across our border now is the largest we’ve ever had by far.”

This is false. When measured by weight, drug seizures are trending down.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations seized nearly 549,000 pounds of illicit drugs in 2023, according to federal data. That’s down 16% from 2022, when 656,000 pounds of substances were confiscated. More than 900,000 pounds were seized in 2021, according to federal data.

Most of the drugs involved were marijuana (150,000 pounds) and methamphetamine (140,000 pounds).

Fentanyl seizures were up, however, with the 27,000 pounds in 2023 accounting for nearly twice the 14,700 pounds confiscated in 2022.

– Joedy McCreary

Trump claim: Biden indicted me because I’m his political opponent

“He [Biden] indicted me because I'm his opponent.”

This is false. Trump was indicted and convicted in New York for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. But there is no evidence Biden or his administration had anything to do with these charges. Since the charges were brought by the state of New York, Biden and the federal government are not party to the indictment and have no say in the charges, as USA TODAY previously reported.

“When you’re dealing with state prosecutions, it’s district attorneys elected by the voters of their jurisdiction,” said Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University. “That has nothing to do with the federal government.”

The idea of Biden interfering in Trump's prosecution is further weakened by the fact that the agency under his purview declined to file charges. The Justice Department had the authority to pursue a case against Trump over the hush money circumstances but chose not to do so.

In Trump's two federal cases, things are a bit different. The charges he faces cover the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents in Florida and a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election from Biden in Washington.

There is no law that prohibits a president from involving himself in a federal case, experts acknowledged. But they also said Biden has kept himself separate from the prosecution of Trump.

Additionally, Biden publicly vowed not to speak to Attorney General Merrick Garland about any specific case. And a key reason for the November 2022 appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel for the federal cases against Trump was to add a layer of separation between the investigation and the Biden Administration.

-Brad Sylvester and Joedy McCreary

Trump claim: Food prices have 'doubled and tripled and quadrupled' under Biden

"You look at the cost of food where it's doubled and tripled and quadrupled."

The cost of food has gone up under Biden, but not to the extent Trump claimed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's all-food consumer price index shows food prices rose by 25% from 2019 to 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused changes in consumer behavior and led to supply chain disruptions, driving large increases in some foods. In 2022, food costs increased faster than any year since 1979, "partly due to a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak that affected egg and poultry prices," according to the department's report.

But grocery prices have stabilized over the last year, increasing by just 1.2% in the past 12 months, according to the Consumer Price Index report from March 2024.

- Chris Mueller

Trump claim: No sex with porn star

“I didn’t have sex with a porn star.”

This is disputed.

On May 30, a New York state jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records tied to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Daniels testified at trial that she had sex with Trump in July 2006 following a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.

Trump has denied the sex happened.

The trial focused on a $130,000 payment that was arranged by Trump’s then-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, ahead of the 2016 presidential election, the Associated Press reported.

–Andre Byik

Trump claim: Biden called African Americans ‘super predators’

"He did a crime bill. 1994. Where you called them super predators. African Americans. Super predators. And they've never forgotten it. They've never forgotten it."

While Biden once warned of “predators” in 1993 while advocating for a 1994 crime bill he sponsored as a senator, he never referred to African Americans as “super predators.” Rather, it was then-first lady Hillary Clinton who linked that term to the 1994 crime bill, as USA TODAY previously reported

While campaigning for her husband in 1996, Clinton praised the 1994 crime bill for curbing gangs, saying, "We need to take these people on, they are often connected to big drug cartels, they are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called super predators. No conscious, no empathy,"

Notably, she did not connect this comment to Black people.

-Brad Sylvester

Trump claim: Unprecedented numbers of murders by immigrants under Biden

“People are coming in and they’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen.”

While Trump has made a version of this claim before, there is no data that points to a wave of homicides being led by people living illegally in the U.S.

A review of 2024 crime data by NBC News suggests the opposite might be true. Overall crime levels have fallen in cities where a Texas program has transported migrants from the border, the network reported in February.

Crime is down year over year in Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, New York and Los Angeles, according to the report. Washington experienced an increase, but officials do not attribute that spike to migrants, NBC News reported.

Trump previously made a version of the claim during a speech in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Research suggests immigrants actually commit fewer crimes than people born in the U.S.

– Joedy McCreary

Trump claim: The US southern border is the most dangerous place in the world

“We have a border that's the most dangerous place anywhere in the world”

This is false. While deaths, disappearances and violence do occur at the U.S. southern border, there is no evidence to suggest it is the most dangerous place in the world.

Statistics on border deaths vary. Customs and Border Protection data shows 171 people died at the border in fiscal year 2022, some in CBP custody and others while attempting to cross the border. The International Organization for Migration, a U.N.-related organization, documented 686 deaths and disappearances of migrants on the US-Mexico border in 2022.

Places all over the world and even in the U.S. have more frequent deaths. For example, there were more than 700 murders in Chicago in 2022, according to the Chicago Police Department. Chicago is 228 square miles, while the U.S.-Mexico border is 1,951 miles long.

-Brad Sylvester

Trump claim: Corporate tax cut from 39% to 21%

“The corporate tax was cut down to 21% from 39% plus beyond that.”

Trump was off with one of his numbers.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 did lower the corporate tax rate to 21%. But it started at 35%, not the 39% that Trump claimed.

It is unclear exactly what Trump meant with his reference to “plus beyond that.” He promised business leaders that he would lower the corporate tax rate to 20%, The New York Times reported June 13.

– Joedy McCreary

Biden claim: Trump told Americans to inject bleach to treat COVID-19

"He said it’s not that serious, just inject a little bleach in your arm, you’ll be all right."

Biden is referring to comments Trump made during a press conference early in the pandemic when he suggested disinfectants might be a possible treatment for COVID-19. But he overstates what Trump said.

Trump's statement came after Bill Bryan, an undersecretary of science and technology at the Department of Homeland Security, discussed a new study that found sunlight and household disinfectants effectively killed the virus on surfaces or in the air.

"And then I saw the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute, and is there a way we could do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning," Trump said.

Trump, though, never directly instructed people to inject bleach or any other disinfectant. Some states issued warnings following Trump's comment, as did Lysol, which told people not to inject or ingest its products as a coronavirus treatment.

- Chris Mueller

Biden claim: No American troops died anywhere in the world during his presidency

“The truth is, I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have any - this decade - that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world, like (former President Donald Trump) did.”

Biden’s comment came following a reference to hostilities in Afghanistan during Trump’s term in office.

But the notion that no troops have died in the world during Biden’s time in office is wrong.

Thirteen U.S. service members were killed in a suicide bombing attack near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in August 2021, when Biden was president, as thousands tried to flee the Taliban’s takeover of the country, USA TODAY previously reported.

Among the deaths were 11 Marines, one Navy hospital corpsman and one Army soldier.

Biden remarked on the deaths at the time, calling them “tragic.”

More recently, three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers were killed in January at a base in Jordan in what was described as a drone attack by Iran-backed militants.

–Andre Byik

Debate background: Hunter Biden's ongoing legal troubles sure to hang over campaign

In early June, a jury found Hunter Biden – Joe Biden's son – guilty of three federal gun charges, making him the first child of a sitting president to be convicted at trial. The situation has been politically charged as it coincides with the elder Biden's ongoing campaign for reelection.

Republican lawmakers have investigated Hunter Biden's foreign business deals, repeatedly alleging that Joe Biden was involved in influence peddling during his time as vice president. The White House has denied that allegation, calling it baseless innuendo.

Joe Biden, who earlier said he wouldn't pardon his son, released a statement shortly after the jury's verdict was announced reiterating that position.

“I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” he said. “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”

Hunter Biden is expected to stand trial again in September in California, where he faces tax charges.

But even before his legal troubles, the president's son has been a frequent target for misinformation. Here are some of the claims we've already debunked:

- Chris Mueller

Debate background: Vast differences between Biden, Trump on gender identity, LGBTQ+ issues

With Pride Month winding down, LGBTQ+ issues – specifically, those related to gender identity – remain pivotal for voters in both parties.

The candidates have taken widely different positions on those issues, with President Joe Biden – hailed as the most LGBTQ-friendly president in U.S. history – marking his first day in office with an executive order on LGBTQ rights.

His administration is challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, with the Supreme Court agreeing to hear the case. He also unveiled in April a set of sweeping changes to Title IX rules that protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination based on their gender identity, but a federal judge blocked their enforcement in four states.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump vowed in May to roll back transgender student protections “on Day 1” of his presidency by reversing an executive order issued by Biden in 2021. Trump also vowed in February 2023 to punish medical professionals and facilities that provide gender-affirming care to transgender minors and said he would support banning transgender women from women’s sports.

Here are some of the false claims related to LGBTQ+ issues that we’ve debunked:

– Joedy McCreary

Debate background: Israel’s war against Hamas sparks unrest in US as peace deal remains elusive

The Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in response, plunged President Joe Biden into the second major international conflict of his term. He has been forced to balance America’s military support for Israel with calls from the left to broker a ceasefire deal as casualties mount in the Palestinian territory.

Biden said in May that it is “time for this war to end and for the day after to begin,” laying out a proposal that called for Israel to cease military operations in the Gaza Strip and Hamas to release hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

But a peace deal has proved elusive, leading to unrest on college campuses across the country after pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up protest camps. Former President Donald Trump cheered police crackdowns on demonstrators, calling them “a beautiful thing to watch.” But he’s also called on Israel to finish its war, saying the violence is hurting its standing among the international community.

“Israel has to be very careful, because you're losing a lot of the world, you’re losing a lot of support, you have to finish up, you have to get the job done,” Trump told Israeli outlet Israel Hayom in an interview posted in March. "And you have to get on to peace, to get on to a normal life for Israel, and for everybody else.”

These are some claims related to the Israel-Hamas war that we’ve already addressed:

– Andre Byik

Debate background: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine puts spotlight on US involvement in foreign wars

Russia’s war against Ukraine entered its third year in February, and the conflict has had political implications in the U.S., where pushes to approve war aid for Ukraine have been met with contentious debate over the extent of American involvement in foreign wars, the Associated Press reported.

President Joe Biden has remained committed to supporting Ukraine and its effort to join NATO, signing a 10-year bilateral security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 13.

“Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s credible defense and deterrence capabilities for the long term,” Biden said at a press conference about the agreement. “A lasting peace for Ukraine must be underwritten by Ukraine’s own ability to defend itself now and to deter future aggression anytime … in the future.”

Former President Donald Trump has said he could end the war within 24 hours of returning to the Oval Office, but he’s offered few details about his plan. The Washington Post reported Trump’s plan could include pressuring Ukraine to give up territory, which Ukraine has opposed.

Here are some fact-checks about claims related to the war in Ukraine:

– Andre Byik

Debate background: Fight over immigration reform plays out during presidential campaign

Immigration has become one of the most heated topics of the 2024 election, as President Joe Biden grapples with high levels of crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and former President Donald Trump vows to deport millions of migrants if re-elected.

The situation at the Southwest border – where U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded nearly 2.5 million migrant encounters in fiscal 2023 – prompted Biden to take executive action earlier this month to implement new restrictions on asylum access.

The action came after Republican lawmakers in February blocked an immigration bill blocked by Biden that would have revamped the country’s immigration and border policies.

Biden blamed the legislation’s failure to gain traction in Congress on opposition from Trump.

“Now, all indications are this bill won't even move forward to the Senate floor,” Biden said at the time. “Why? A simple reason. Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks it's bad for him politically.”

Meanwhile, Trump has pledged to reinstate policies from his first term in office and limit asylum access if elected in November. He also wants to institute a merit-based immigration system and deputize the National Guard and local law enforcement “to assist with rapidly removing illegal alien gang members and criminals,” according to his campaign website.

Here are some immigration-related claims we previously debunked:

– Andre Byik

Debate background: Biden and Trump face age-related concerns, though both insist they're fit to serve

At 81 years old, Joe Biden is currently the oldest U.S. president ever elected. His age has been a concern for voters and a frequent target for critics, including Donald Trump, who often suggests Biden's age makes him unfit to be president.

Trump is 78 years old, three years younger than Biden, but he has also faced criticism related to his age and mental acuity, including when he confused Joe Biden for Barack Obama in multiple campaign speeches.

Either man would be the oldest person to take the oath of office if sworn in next January.

In February, Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur released a report indicating Biden wouldn't face charges for his handling of classified documents that included multiple comments about Biden's age and memory, describing him as an elderly man with "diminished capacities," including memory loss. However, Biden and his administration pushed back, with Biden saying his "memory is fine" during a televised speech.

While Trump's doctor said multiple times he was healthy during his presidency, there were – and still are –  reports of him slurring words during his speeches. Late in his term, Trump was recorded slowly descending a ramp after a speech at at U.S. Military Academy at West Point, during which he used both hands to drink a glass of water. Trump dismissed concerns raised about his age after that incident, claiming the ramp was long, steep and "very slippery."

Here are a few of the age-related claims we've already addressed:

- Chris Mueller

Debate background: Election integrity remains key issue – even without evidence of widespread voter fraud

Throughout the campaign one question has persisted: Will the candidates and their supporters trust – and abide by – the results of the election?

Most recently, former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee led by his daughter-in-law said they will mobilize 100,000 people in battleground states to ensure “transparency and fairness.” The move has drawn criticism from opponents who say it has the potential to lead to voter intimidation.

State-level recounts, reviews and audits of the 2022 midterm elections found no indication of systemic problems with voter fraud. That’s significant because baseless allegations from Trump and his allies have penetrated the Republican Party and eroded confidence in the process.

Claims questioning the integrity of the election frequently center around a handful of predictable themes that include assertions of widespread voter fraud and election “hacking.”

USA TODAY has debunked several false claims about the integrity of the elections:

– Joedy McCreary

Debate background: Trump’s conviction, pending trials loom over debate, election

The first former U.S. president convicted of a felony will take the debate stage as an ex-president for the first time in an attempt to convince voters to give him his old job back.

Former President Donald Trump’s felony conviction and his three pending criminal trials continue to loom large over both the race and the debate – his first of the presidential election cycle – with President Joe Biden.

Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments intended to silence two women, including adult film actress Stormy Daniels, before the 2016 election. Days before the debate, the judge in that case lifted the gag order restrictions that protected the witnesses and jurors. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 11 – days before the start of the Republican National Convention, during which he is expected to formally receive the party’s nomination.

Trump also faces charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents and allegedly conspiring to steal the 2020 presidential election, including his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Trump and several allies were indicted in August by a Georgia grand jury that accused them of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, where Trump lost to President Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes.

Trump’s legal problems have been the subject of an array of false or misleading claims on social media:

– Joedy McCreary

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check of presidential debate: What did Trump, Biden get wrong?

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