On September 10, 2024, former President Donald J. Trump and the current Vice President Kamala Harris went on ABC News to discuss major voter issues. A debate that supposedly serves as a source to inform voters on candidates’ policies is, in reality, plagued with false and misleading information that has serious impacts on targeted communities and inherently undermines voters’ decisions.
The candidates discussed key issues from abortion to immigration. Multiple news sources have come to fact-check the candidates as, unfortunately, both sides exacerbated numbers and used misleading rhetoric throughout the debate. The Harris and Trump debate is the perfect example of how public figures utilize misinformation and manipulate the truth to serve their own agenda. The impact is not only the corruption of truth and misleading voters but also encourages harmful rhetoric and violence against minority communities.
Trump claims that the vice president’s running mate, Tim Walz, condones infanticide. According to CNN, no state has passed or attempted to pass a law that allows the killing of a baby after its birth. Trump also said that Roe v. Wade regulations have made exceptions for victims of rape or incest. Yet, PBS studies indicate that there are an estimated 64,000 rape-related pregnancies that have faced barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade.
Additionally former President Trump brought up speculation of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio eating residents’ pets. According to CBS News, the local government in Ohio has released a statement claiming that the speculation was false and baseless. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, a Republican, told BBC that there needs to be more awareness around “the weight of [people’s] words and how it can negatively affect communities.” Since the debate, Springfield immigrants have felt uneasiness, and the town has been the target of several bomb threats.
Similarly like her opponent, Vice President Harris was not entirely truthful throughout the debate. Throughout the debate she frequently refers to Project 2025. Project 2025 is a 900-page document, with details of far-right policies and ideas from the Heritage Foundation. The project entails cracking down on immigration, revoking LGBTQ+ and abortion rights etc.
Although the assumption that Trump is involved with the project is not baseless, yet still misinformation since no credible source or the Trump team themselves have come out with evidence of his direct involvement. According to the Guardian, a host of contributors and promoters of Project 2025 are former cabinet officials from the Trump administration. The New York Times, reports a few differences between Trump’s policies and the project. Such as Trump taking a more lenient stance on abortion rights compared to the document proposals.
Harris also claimed that presently, there are no active U.S. military soldiers in a war zone. However, ABC has found that there are currently 2,500 U.S. military troops in Iraq and more than 900 personnel in Syria to prevent ISIS resurgence. Although most are only involved in advisory roles, some are still engaged in risky counterterrorism missions. Over the past year, there were 170 rocket and drone attacks launched by Iranian-backed militia groups. This includes an attack on a U.S. base in Jordan this past January where 3 U.S. soldiers were killed and 34 were wounded. The omission of the work of people who are currently serving the country and risking their safety is not only disrespectful to them but to their families. Not to mention, Harris is currently in office and should have access to the data that disproves her claim.
During the debate, both candidates spread misinformation or intentionally misled the audience to persuade voters. Both candidates should be held accountable for their lies. These lies not only mislead the American people and undermine their ability to decide on a candidate that most serves their values, but also puts communities such as immigrants in Springfield in danger.
Both candidates have widespread influence due to their popularity on social media and their role as politicians. Misleading rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and lies are amplified since their supporters are less likely to question their credibility due to blinding trust in the government or political affiliations. Although the media has done their best to fact check candidates it doesn’t seem to prevent or disincentivize them to stop lying. Media sources tend to also have their own bias. It is crucial that voters and media outlets continue to fact check information they hear, combating political misinformation as much as they can.
