During the 2024 presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris made several misleading statements while facing off against President Donald Trump. Here are five of the most significant falsehoods she presented during the event.
1. Claiming to Be a ‘Middle-Class Kid’
Harris attempted to paint herself as growing up in a middle-class family, but this is not accurate. Her father was a professor at Stanford University, and her mother was a renowned biomedical scientist at UC Berkeley. Harris’ upbringing was far from the middle-class experience she portrayed.
2. Trump’s Tax Cuts Only Benefited Billionaires
Harris falsely implied that Trump’s 2017 tax cuts primarily benefited the wealthy, when, in fact, IRS data shows that middle-income and working-class Americans were the biggest beneficiaries of the tax reforms. The cuts provided significant relief to families across multiple income brackets, not just the top 1%.
3. Trump Supports a National Abortion Ban
During the debate, Harris falsely claimed that Trump would sign a national abortion ban if elected. However, Trump’s 2024 platform explicitly leaves decisions about abortion to individual states. There is no mention of him supporting federal legislation for a nationwide ban, despite Harris’ misleading assertion.
4. Trump Opposes In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Harris falsely stated that Trump is against IVF treatments, a claim that contradicts Trump’s public support for fertility options like IVF. Trump has never opposed the procedure and has even spoken favorably about making such treatments more accessible to families.
5. Trump Is Against Fracking
Harris claimed during the debate that she has always supported fracking, despite making previous statements against it. In fact, Trump was the one who advocated for energy independence through methods like fracking, while Harris, during her 2020 presidential campaign, had openly supported a ban on the practice.
These falsehoods from Harris, paired with moderators’ failure to fact-check her in real-time, contributed to a contentious debate night where Trump essentially came out on top in a three-on-one debate against the vice president and two clearly biased moderators.
