The first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump included memorable moments, along with some false information.
As the presidential candidates squared off on Tuesday, Harris focused on Trump’s term as president, claiming, “Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.”
But that’s not quite right, according to ABC News. And the claim lacks context.
While Trump was in the White House, the unemployment rate spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic and peaked at 14.8% in April 2020, the highest level since the Great Depression. But the next administration wasn’t “left” with this rate.
By the time President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris took office, in January 2021, the unemployment rate had dropped to 6.4%.
The lowest rate during Trump’s term was 3.5%, while the lowest rate under Biden has been 3.4%.
Trump repeated debunked claim
While discussing immigration during the debate, former President Trump made a startling claim: "In Springfield (Ohio), they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said.
But this is completely false, according to PolitiFact. This claim had been debunked before the debate.
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