We found some factual distortions in the first debate round of the two-night affair.
FactChecking the First 2020 Democratic Debate
Year: 2019
Facts on Warren’s Wealth Tax Plan
Sen. Elizabeth Warren likes to say, “I’ve got a plan for that.” She has lots of plans, but there is one on which many of the others hinge: her plan for an “Ultra-Millionaire Tax,” an annual wealth tax on all assets over $50 million. We’ll answer several questions about how it would work and what it might raise.
McConnell’s Biggest Donor Isn’t Russian
A meme on Facebook falsely claims that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s biggest campaign donor is a Russian oligarch.
Posts Misidentify Woman in Trump Photo
Social media posts misidentify a woman in an old photo with President Donald Trump. She is not E. Jean Carroll, the writer who recently accused Trump of sexual assault, but is another woman who previously accused Trump of misconduct.
Trump’s New Twist on False Voter Fraud Claim
President Donald Trump falsely suggested that California admitted that “a million votes” were cast as part of “much illegal voting” in that state during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump’s Repeated Falsehood on Auto Plants
In launching his reelection campaign, President Donald Trump repeated a claim about new auto plants that he made a year-and-a-half ago. It’s still not true, and it fits a pattern of Trump falsely boasting of unexpected or unusual gains in the auto industry.
The Churchill Quotation That Wasn’t
There’s no support for the idea that Winston Churchill ever made a statement about Muslims that social media users continue to attribute to him.
‘Satirical’ Story Gets Serious Treatment Online
A bogus story fueling theories that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be arrested has been shared over 100,000 times on Facebook, but it started out as satire.
Image Shows ’85 Live Aid Concert, Not Trump Rally
A viral photo shows a massive crowd at an iconic 1985 concert in London, not at a rally for President Trump in Philadelphia, as a meme claims.
Trump’s Campaign Kickoff Claims
In launching his reelection campaign, President Donald Trump said, “Nobody’s done what we have done in two and a half years.” However, we found his speech was filled with familiar false, misleading and exaggerated statements about his record on jobs, military spending, veterans, energy and more.