The latest presidential debate held on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia comes on the heels of tumultuous times for both major parties.
For the Democrats, the last debate led to a changing of the guard with Vice President Kamala Harris now alongside running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, President replacing Joe Biden as nominee.
For the Republicans, a summer assassination attempt on President Donald Trump that was initially was thought to bolster the party’s chances but has been less than fruitful, with a July poll from Reuters polling showing Trump leading Biden by two points (with a three-point margin of error).
One might expect that, following such choppy seas, both candidates would prepare for an entirely uneventful debate.
That did not happen.
During the debate, both were asked a series of questions about several topics including the economy, reproductive rights and immigration.
Harris’ answer to the question of the economy leveraged her middle-class background.
“I’m actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle-class and working people of America,” she said.
Harris also criticized a “Trump sales tax” she claims will cost $4,000 a year.
Trump clarified it’s not a sales tax but instead a “tariff for China” in his rebuttal.
PBS fact-checkers found Trump was correct in his clarification stating: “Trump has repeatedly proposed wide-ranging tariffs on foreign goods, including a 10 percent to 20 percent across-the-board tariff and a 60 percent levy on goods from China.”
PBS noted this would likely still affect consumers, despite being separate from the tax system: “Two estimates we found generally support Harris’ $4,000 figure; two show a smaller, though still significant, impact.”
Additionally the use of the word tariff by Trump is inaccurate, as he describes an additional fee on the side of the exporter.
In reality a tariff is a charge placed on the part of those importing products, which would run contrary to Trump’s repeated claim that it costs China money.
Both candidates had a lot to say on the topic of reproductive rights.
“They have abortion in the ninth month, and you can look at the governor of West Virginia, the previous governor of West Virginia…he said ‘the baby will be born and we will decide what to do with the baby,’ in other words ‘we’ll execute the baby ‘” Trump said when questioned on his stance on abortion.
He then claimed Harris’ running mate Walz supports the execution of babies.
Neither of these claims are true, with the moderator, Linsey Davis, fact checking Trump’s claims after he finished speaking by stating: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it is born.”
Harris’ answer began by pointing out Trump’s three Supreme Court justice appointments, which played a key role in overturning Roe v. Wade.
“In over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans, which make it criminal for doctor or nurse to provide health care,” said Harris then pointing out that some of said bans make no exception for rape or incest. “A survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next.”
“The government, and Donald Trump certainly not, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body” Harris concluded by saying that she would support a bill passed by congress that reinstates Roe v. Wade.
Next came the topic of immigration.
Harris mentioned she had supported a comprehensive bill that would have alleviated issues at the border by putting “15,000 more border agents… to help the people working there.” but said Trump killed the bill because he “would rather run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
During Trump’s statements on immigration he parroted a false and racist story claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets. He said the story was boosted by several high profile right wing accounts on social media including Texas senator Ted Cruz and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
“While it’s not possible to say where the claim originated, the Springfield News-Sun reported that it may be linked to a viral post in a Springfield Facebook group,” according to CBS News. “In the Facebook post, a person says a neighbor’s daughter’s friend lost her cat and later found it hanging from a branch near a Haitian neighbor’s house, according to the Springfield News-Sun.”
However, according to the Springfield News-Sun: “The Springfield Police Division said Monday they have received no reports related to pets being stolen and eaten.”
