Fact checking DNC 2024 Day One speeches from Biden, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats - CBS News
By: Laura Doan (CBSPolitics)
Stretch Armstrong should be the new Democratic mascot
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Laura Doan, Amelia Donhauser
Updated on: August 20, 2024 / 9:54 AM EDT / CBS News
Watch: President Biden delivers DNC address Watch: President Biden delivers DNC address53:35
CBS News is fact checking some of the statements made by speakers during the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which is taking place in Chicago from Monday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 22.
The convention began with unity as the theme, and the featured speakers Monday were President Biden and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, as well as a host of others.
Some of the comments that CBS News' Confirmed team fact checked involved Democrats' comments about GOP nominee Donald Trump's record as president, as well as the Biden administration's record.
CBS News is covering the DNC live.
Fact check on Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez's claim that Trump promises "to terminate the Affordable Care Act": Misleading
Details: In 2016, former President Donald Trump promised to repeal and replace the nation's health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), if elected. During his presidency, he backed attempts by Republicans to repeal parts of the law while carrying over other parts.
In this election cycle, Trump has continued to criticize the law but has said he doesn't support terminating all of its policies outright. In November, Trump said he intends to "replace" the Affordable Care Act with another package of health reforms.
In March, he said that he was "not running to terminate the ACA" but instead to make it better and cheaper.
By Alexander Tin, Amelia Donhauser
Fact check on California Rep. Robert Garcia's claim that Trump "told us to inject bleach into our bodies": False
Details: In an April 2020 White House news briefing with members of the government's coronavirus task force, Trump, who was then president, speculated about combating COVID-19 by injecting disinfectant into the body. He suggested doctors should study this possibility, but he did not tell people to inject bleach into their bodies.
"I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute," Trump said. "And is there a way we can do something like that — by injection inside or almost a cleaning — because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it'd be interesting to check that, so that you're going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me."
The Trump White House later offered differing excuses for the remark. It first said Trump's comments were taken out of context. A day later, Trump told reporters that he was being sarcastic when he raised the possibility of injecting disinfectants.
"I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen," he said.
By Amelia Donhauser
Fact check on Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin's claim that the U.S. economy added 16 million jobs during the Biden administration: True, but needs context
Details: Under President Biden, the U.S. economy has added more than 15.8 million jobs, according to July data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
However, it's important to note that the number includes roughly 9 million jobs that were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. economy under Mr. Biden has seen an increase of approximately 6.4 million jobs above February 2020 levels, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By comparison, 6.7 million jobs were created in the first three years of former President Donald Trump's term between January 2017 and February 2020, before the pandemic left Trump with record job losses.
By Laura Doan
Fact checking Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's claim that Vance thinks women should stay in violent marriages, and pregnancies from rape are "inconvenient": Misleading
Beshear: "JD Vance says women should stay in violent marriages and that pregnancies resulting from rape are simply inconvenient."
Details: Before he was a Republican Ohio senator,JD Vance spoke of being raised by his grandparents and their relationship at an event in 2021. He contrasted their commitment to each other during an "incredibly chaotic" marriage with modern divorce rates.
"I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that, like, 'Well, okay, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy," he said. "And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that's going to make people happier in the long term."
"And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I'm skeptical," Vance added. "But it really didn't work out for the kids of those marriages."
Vance has repeatedly said these remarks were taken out of context. In a statement to VICE News in 2022 he said, "In my life, I have seen siblings, wives, daughters, and myself abused by men. It's disgusting for you to argue that I was defending those men."
In 2021, Vance was asked if anti-abortion laws should include exceptions for rape or incest. He replied: "It's not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it's whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child's birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society. The question really, to me, is about the baby," he continued. "We want women to have opportunities, we want women to have choices, but above all, we want women— and young boys in the womb — to have the right to life."
In July, Vance told Fox News, "The Democrats have completely twisted my words. What I did say is that we sometimes in this society see babies as inconveniences, and I absolutely want us to change that."
By Amelia Donhauser
Fact checking Biden's claim there are fewer border crossings today than when Trump left office: True, needs context
President Biden: "There are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office."
Details: In July, migrant apprehensions along the U.S. southern border dropped to 56,408, the lowest level since September 2020, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. When Trump left office in January 2021, the number of apprehensions was around 75,000.
The decline in illegal border crossings had been dropping steadily since the spring and accelerated after Mr. Biden issued a proclamation on June 4 banning most migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Officials have also said scorching summer temperatures and Mexico's efforts to stop migrants have contributed to the drop.
Yearly apprehensions at the U.S. southern border also reached record highs during Mr. Biden's term, according to the data. In fiscal year 2023, the number reached 2.2 million. The number of yearly apprehensions under Trump peaked at around 852,000 in the fiscal year 2019.
By Camilo Montoya-Galvez,Laura Doan
Alexander Tin contributed to this report.
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- Hillary Clinton
- Joe Biden
- Kamala Harris
Laura Doan
Laura Doan is a fact checker for CBS News Confirmed. She covers misinformation, AI and social media.
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But that's okay for the minions to cheer at the top of their lungs.
And then, there was Joe Bidens fact check on its lonesome...........
Any bets that not a single Democratic sycophant will bother to acknowledge or call out Democratic LIES?
Maybe ONLY Trump lies matter?
They could start a whole new movement--"Trump Lies Matter"!
And they say the GOP uses scare tactics........
The whole of the Democratic nominee's campaign (and it doesn't even matter which candidate it is) is fearmongering about Trump. But LOOK at the candidate they push--do they really have any choice, because talking about her or the present Admin.'s accomplishments won't go very far. What could they credibly claim as a success?
The one about the bleach injection is the most interesting of these. Trump speculated , in front of the nation, about a disinfectant being injected into people's bodies to fight covid.
We already had a "disinfectant " that is injected into people's bodies. Its called antibiotics.
Trump was not talking about antibiotics.
It is kind of poetic license to say he recommended bleach, since he didnt know what he was recommending, but did it anyway. One of the many irresponsible moments he had during covid.
At one of his bizarre covid updates out in the white house rose garden , he brought Mike Lindell up to the microphone to kiss his butt and make some nonsense claim about the virus. That is what we were dealing with.
Gee, people grounded in reality just call it what it actually is--an outright LIE.
MAGAS know very little about reality.
You should take your MAGA issues up with MAGA then.
But I suspect they can recognize Democratic lies just fine, even if sycophants refuse to.
It was tongue in cheek and you know it. And the ultra violet light is a real thing.
LOL. He looked over at Dr. Deborah Birx , a senior white house covid advisor at the time, and said she might want to look into these mysterious "injections". She looked horrified. Saying Trump was "tongue in cheek" is ridiculous. He was trying to pretend he knew what to do.
And the ultraviolet is a type of injection only continuous for a period of time in order to get one free of the virus and bacteria.
Of course, those who read avidly know the clear difference between a suggestion for others to follow and asking a question.
You really expect everybody to take your word for it?
Not to mention the ole standbys about Trump calling neo-NAzis "fine people" and predicting a literal "bloodbath"
They just lie without any concern for reality at this point. It's a post truth party.
What is so very sad is the lies.
Trump gives them plenty to bitch about legitimately, but they still insist on making lies up, all the while complaining about HIS lies.
I tend to tune the liars out.
That's what's insane to me. Trump is the last person they should need to lie about.
But it goes to show if they will lie about Trump, who won't they lie about?
A different question would be:
Who can or will they tell the truth about?
Trump's behavior surrounding the "Unite The Right " hate fest was despicable. It took him three days to say the "very fine people" baloney. He was annoyed he had to address the subject at all. His first comments about it were so bland he was criticized for two days for being indecisive about the issue of a white supremacist march.
And there were no fine people on both sides. The locals who sincerely wanted to protest the removal of the statue stayed away because they knew there was going to be trouble.
This is the FIRST thing Trump said
Many sides? One side was a mob of white supremacists and neo Nazis and the other side was the people that opposed them.
Anyone who thinks what Trump said is acceptable needs their head examined.
With hatred. They hated the statue of Lee and returned violence back. No one was free of disdain that day. No one.
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It was a hoax when Biden used it, and it is still a hoax.
What is not a hoax is Biden & Harris trying to appeal to those antisemitic voters.
What is this hoax?
Literally the first words out of Trumps mouth were "both sides". Or are you another one who doesnt believe video evidence?
Anyone claiming Trump called the neo-nazis or white supremacists at Charlottesville very fine people.
He called them that by default. As I have said many times, Trump is either incompetent or an idiot, or both. It was very well known that the Unite The Right rally on Aug 12 2017 was a white supremacist rally. It had been in the local news for weeks. The permit for the rally was obtained by a notorious white supremacist, who then called for all these hate groups to assemble in Charlottesville on that day.
I assume that before the POTUS was sent out to comment on such a consequential matter someone on his staff attempted to find out who was involved.
He said what he said because he did not want to "offend" his white grievance political base. He thought his initial "both sides" bs would suffice. When it didnt he had to come back two days later and expand on it.
It is not a mystery what was going on.
I can't believe that argument is still going around. Even the left-leaning Snopes called that line false. Anyone who continues to push the very fine people on both sides line is simply lying thru their teeth.
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lol. Of course they did.
Too funny.
i saw it this morning but cant find it now
it doesnt matter anyway
The timeline of what Trump said is crystal clear. He was doing a ceremony with a veterans group on Aug 12 2017 and started his remarks with a comment on the violence that morning. In that comment he decried violence from "all sides".
The event had been on all the news channels all morning and it was incredibly well known this was a white supremacist rally.
In his comments on Aug 12 he did not mention that fact AT ALL. Fuck him and stop making excuses for him. You all look bad.
That's a shame as it would be nice to see evidence to the contrary. As it sits, I cannot find anything on Snopes for them walking that back. The article where they deny it still stands.
There were no fine people on both sides that day. There were white nationalists and those opposing them. There was no peaceful protest by non white nationalists who wanted to protect the statue.
The permit to protest the statue was obtained by white supremacists.
Trump is either an idiot for not knowing what everyone else knew, a liar, or incompetent.
Something often claimed when you have no rebuttal.
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This is funny. An entire night full of speeches and fact checkers came up with only five items - two are labeled true but missing context (wow, how damning), two were misleading (wow, like every political ad ever produced), and one was false (because everybody has already heard Trump say we should look into putting disinfectant in our bodies, which is so fucking stupid he may as well have said inject bleach). It’s a good thing JD’s couch wasn’t mentioned or there would be two falsehoods! Meanwhile Trump can’t open his mouth without five blatant lies rolling out.
Lol. The very first line of the story
And this was the most impactful version they could come up with. Too funny.
Trump decries violence, avoids mentioning white nationalists
As news broke of a terrorist attack in Paris in November 2015, Trump immediately tweeted that he was praying for "the victims and hostages." Very soon after a shooting at an Orlando nightclub in June 2016, Trump tweeted that he was "right on radical Islamic terrorism."
But he kept quiet Saturday morning as a protest led by white nationalists, who arrived with torches and chants in Charlottesville, on Friday night, turned violent. The cable networks that he usually watches showed footage of increasingly violent clashes between the white nationalists, some of whom looked like soldiers because they were so heavily armed, and the counterprotesters who showed up to challenge them.
He kept quiet as David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, declared that the scene in Charlottesville is a "turning point" for a movement that aims to "fulfill the promises of Donald Trump."
The president kept quiet as Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) declared a state of emergency - and as Trump's own wife responded, writing in a tweet that "no good comes from violence."
Cable news commentary, Twitter and the inboxes of White House spokesmen quickly filled with this question: Where is the president?
Then, at 1:19 p.m. in New Jersey, Trump took a break from his working vacation at his private golf club to tweet: "We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!"
Trump has long tiptoed around the issue of white supremacy and has yet to provide a full-throttled rebuke of those who invoke his name. He had to be repeatedly pushed to denounce Duke after the former KKK leader endorsed him and praised him.
Trump's candidacy excited many white nationalists as he mocked the Black Lives Matter movement on the campaign trail and declared that "all lives matter." They rallied behind his vows to build a wall on the southern border, reduce the number of foreigners allowed into the country and pressure everyone in the country to speak English and say "Merry Christmas."
About two hours after the president's tweet, Trump expanded with four-minute statement that began: "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides." He added for emphasis: "On many sides."
When asked what the president meant by "on many sides," a White House spokesperson responded: "The President was condemning hatred, bigotry and violence from all sources and all sides. There was violence between protesters and counterprotesters today."
Later in the evening, Trump offered his condolences to a victim and "best regards to all of those injured."
Trump never used the words "white supremacy" or "white nationalism." He didn't detail what acts or words he considers to be hateful or bigoted. He didn't mention the vehicle that had driven into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville - a tactic that has been repeatedly used by Islamic State terrorists. He scolded both sides and treated their offenses as being equal. He was vague enough that his statement could be interpreted in a number of different ways.
But many other Americans wanted their president to be crystal-clear when it comes to white supremacy and what they were witnessing in Charlottesville. The president's tweet and statement were quickly questioned.
"There is only one side," tweeted former vice president Joe Biden.
In a series of tweets Saturday, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said her "heart is in Charlottesville today" and added that "the incitement of hatred that got us here is as real and condemnable as the white supremacists in our streets."
Some Republicans took a similar approach.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) released a strongly worded statement that said, in part: "White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals that define us as a people and make our nation special."
And Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) tweeted: "We should call evil by its name. My brother didn't give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home."
DonOLD has alternative facts about that night.