Biden's debate lies debunked

After the first debate of the 2024 presidential election, both candidates had obvious shortcomings: Biden was incoherent, and Trump lied. Still, AP News and The New York Times had to fact-check some of the President's comments.

According to what the journalists, who also fact-checked Mr. Trump, concluded, President Biden's statements were more miss directions than outright lies, and some require clarifying.

President Biden said: "I'm the only president this decade that doesn't have any troops dying anywhere in the world." According to AP News, 16 service members have been killed abroad since 2021.

On several occasions, President Biden said Mr. Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicaid or eliminate the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The Trump campaign has said that the candidate wants to keep the programs.

When discussing healthcare, the President also said due to one of his Acts: "It's $15 for an insulin shot, as opposed to $400." According to AP News, patients with Medicaid used to pay $450 a year, not $400 a month.

The President said: "40 percent fewer people are coming across the border illegally. It's better than when he left office." According to the NY Times, the first part is factual.

Entries dropped 40% after President Biden issued asylum restrictions that allowed for some immediate expulsions. Still, the number of crossings overall has been higher during his administration.

"We have 1,000 billionaires in America (…) in a situation where they pay 8.2% in taxes," the President said when discussing his tax policy. The claim needs context: people in the top 1% are legally required to pay 20% in taxes.

According to the NY Times, the number President Biden mentioned comes from a White House report. The report analyzed the income of 400 wealthy families, considering unsold stocks, which are not taxed now.

Referring to Mr. Trump: "He's the only president other than Herbert Hoover who's lost more jobs than he had when he began." It is true. However, according to the NY Times, it occurred because of the pandemic.

President Biden, referring to Mr. Trump's remarks on Charlottesville: "The one who said I think they're fine people on both sides." According to AP News, Mr. Trump clarified that he was not referring to Nazi or white supremacist groups.

Also referring to Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden said he told Americans to "inject bleach" into their arms to treat COVID-19. According to AP News, that is an overstatement. Mr. Trump asked if it was possible to inject disinfectant into the lungs.

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