Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz met on Oct. 1 the place they debated over abortion, overseas coverage, the economic system and different matters. Listed here are fact-checks on a number of of their claims.
“And when Iranian missiles did fall close to U.S. troops, and so they obtained traumatic mind accidents, Donald Trump wrote it off as complications.” -Walz
Former President Donald Trump mentioned in January 2020 that U.S. troops suffered “complications and a pair different issues” after Iran attacked a U.S. base in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian normal Qassem Soleimani, based on the Associated Press. 110 troops suffered traumatic mind accidents, with 35 being handled in Germany and the USA, per Radio Free Liberty/Free Europe.
CBS Information reported in November 2021 that a number of U.S. troops have been denied the Purple Coronary heart within the aftermath of the assault. Trump mentioned Oct. 1, in response to a query in regards to the 2020 Iranian assault, that “What does injured imply? You imply as a result of they’d a headache? As a result of the bombs by no means hit the fort?”
Whereas the missiles didn’t kill anybody on the base, newly declassified footage confirmed missiles hitting inside the perimeters of the bottom, based on Military.com. At the very least 30 plane and 150 troopers have been in danger throughout the assault, the outlet reported.
“[Border] crossings are down in comparison with when Trump left workplace.” -Walz
Border crossings have fallen in latest months, from a excessive of 249,700 encounters on the southwest border in December 2023 to about 58,000 in August 2024, based on Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data. Border crossings in Trump’s last 12 months, although, have been decrease with 54,771 encounters in September 2020, per CBP data. (RELATED: Fact-Checking Donald Trump’s Claim That Kamala Harris Wants To Bring Back The Military Draft)
Examine Your Truth has lined the border disaster a number of occasions throughout the Biden presidency. Learn extra here and here.
“Proper now on this nation, Margaret, we have now 320,000 kids that the Division of Homeland Safety has successfully misplaced.” – Vance
In August 2024, the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety (DHS)’s Workplace of Inspector Normal launched a report that indicated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “couldn’t monitor the situation and standing of unaccompanied migrant kids (UCs) or provoke removing proceedings as wanted.” In accordance with the identical report, ICE transferred over 448,000 UCs to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) “from fiscal years 2019 to 2023.”
Throughout the identical time interval, 32,000 UCs failed to seem in immigration courtroom. Moreover, as of Might 2024, greater than 291,000 UCs didn’t obtain a Discover to Seem (NTA) from ICE, so they don’t have immigration courtroom dates set, based on the identical report.
ABC News revealed a chunk in regards to the report in August 2024, reiterating that it confirmed how ICE was “not in a position to account” for the places of all of the UCs who’ve entered the U.S. Newsweek additionally lined the report, saying that whereas 32,000 kids failed to seem in immigration courtroom, the variety of kids ICE couldn’t account for would possibly truly be greater since 291,000 didn’t obtain NTAs.
Following the October 1 vice presidential debate, USA Today fact-checked Vance’s declare, stating he’d mixed the 2 numbers and that, based on the identical report, the variety of UCs who failed to seem in courtroom “might have been greater than 32,000.” USA Right this moment acknowledged that the report “doesn’t say these kids have been ‘misplaced.’”
“And I didn’t accuse Kamala Harris of inviting drug mules, I mentioned that she enabled the Mexican drug cartels to function freely on this nation, and we all know that they use kids as drug mules, and it’s a shame and it has to cease.” -Vance
There have been studies on border patrol discovering kids getting used to smuggle medicine over the southern border. United States Teenagers have been focused by the Cartels for use as drug mules. U.S. San Diego County has seen a spike within the variety of teenagers that smuggle medicine over the border.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported in 2020 {that a} mom used her 13-year-old son to smuggle medicine over the border. Border safety found bundles of fentanyl and methamphetamine strapped to the kid. (Fact Check: Do These Images Show The Inside Of Diddy’s Home During Raid?)
The Department of Justice reported in 2018 saying, “In lower than a 12 months, not less than 70 juveniles have been arrested on the Port of Entry attempting to smuggle methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and lethal Fentanyl into San Diego County.”
This has been an ongoing problem for a very long time. In 2012 CBS lined a narrative on a specific younger individual Luis Alberto, a 14-year-old, who was used to site visitors methamphetamine.
“And the identical factor goes with this and I ask you on the market, lecturers, nurses, truck drivers, no matter, how is it truthful that you just’re paying your taxes yearly and Donald Trump hasn’t paid any Federal Tax 10 to final 15 years, within the final 12 months as President?” -Walz
“Six years value of former President Donald Trump’s federal tax returns have been made public in December 2022, which discovered that he paid “little or no” in federal earnings taxes throughout his first and final 12 months of his presidency, based on CNN. Trump was in a position to make this attainable by reporting giant losses—a $105 million loss in 2015 and $73 million in 2016, the outlet reported.
The identical report discovered that Trump paid no federal earnings tax in 2020, his final 12 months as president, and that 4.1% was the best efficient tax raid he paid on his earnings throughout the interval between 2015 and 2020, based on Bloomberg. Not paying federal earnings tax in 2020 was made attainable as a result of he reported $16 million loss from his actual property companies, placing him almost $5 million within the purple for the 12 months, based on The Hill.
Walz’s assertion was probably referring to a New York Times report in September 2020 which discovered that Trump paid $750 in federal earnings taxes the 12 months he gained the presidency, then an extra $750 throughout his first 12 months within the White Home. The report discovered that he paid no earnings tax in any respect in 10 of the final 15 years. The outlet obtained knowledge on Trump’s tax returns spanning over twenty years, together with his first two years in workplace, not together with 2018 and 2019.”
“So we’ve bought 20, 25 million unlawful aliens who’re right here within the nation.” -Vance
Estimates differ, however most estimates seem to point out that 11-12 million unlawful immigrants are within the nation, based on PolitiFact. (RELATED: Media Outlets Claim Trump Falsely Accused Harris Of Wanting ‘Transgender Operations’ On Imprisoned ‘Illegal Aliens’)
One estimate, from the Division of Homeland Safety, states that 11 million unlawful immigrants lived within the nation as of January 2022. One other estimate from the Heart for Immigration Research, a assume tank that advocates for decrease immigration, states there are 12.3 million unlawful immigrants as of Might 2023, although the group’s analysis director advised PolitiFact that they estimated 14 million.
Simon Hankinson, senior analysis fellow on the conservative Heritage Basis’s Border Safety and Immigration Heart, beforehand advised Check Your Fact that mentioned an estimate of 20-30 million unlawful immigrants within the nation was “credible” primarily based on research performed by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and Yale College.
“Estimates of the variety of individuals right here within the U.S. illegally are simply that – estimates. The quantity 12 million has floated round for over a decade and is definitely too low. There are between 16.8 million and 29 million aliens illegally current within the US based on FAIR and Yale research,” Hankinson mentioned.
“That’s not what the [abortion] invoice says.” Walz, when requested if he helps abortion into the ninth month.
Minnesota doesn’t have any restrictions on abortion primarily based on gestational limits after Walz signed a invoice overhauling abortion regulation within the state. Learn extra here.
Christine Sellers, Anna Mock, Joseph Caiseri and Elias Atienza contributed to this report.
Editor’s observe: Extra fact-checks could also be added to this text.
