In his recent press conference, former President Donald Trump mentioned his willingness to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on September 10 and advocated for two additional debates. During the conference, which lasted over an hour, Trump touched on various national issues and later engaged with questions from journalists. However, several of his statements were found to be inaccurate or misleading, many of which have been previously debunked.
One of Trump’s false claims revolved around crowd sizes, where he compared the attendance at his speech near the White House on January 6, 2021, to the crowd size at Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. The National Park Service estimated around 250,000 attendees at King’s speech, while Trump’s address reportedly had about 10,000 people present. Additionally, Trump and King spoke at different locations, with King addressing the audience from the Lincoln Memorial and Trump from the Ellipse near the White House.
Regarding the events of January 6, Trump falsely stated that no deaths occurred during the Capitol riot. In reality, five individuals lost their lives during or after the insurrection, including Ashli Babbitt and Brian Sicknick. Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter, was fatally shot by law enforcement during the riot, whereas Brian Sicknick, a police officer, passed away the following day due to injuries sustained while confronting the mob.
Trump also made baseless claims about the Democratic nomination process, suggesting that the presidency was unjustly taken away from Joe Biden. However, the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate followed the party’s established procedures, with Harris securing overwhelming support from delegates as the sole eligible candidate after Biden withdrew from contention.
Furthermore, in discussing economic matters, Trump insinuated that inflation would not have occurred under his administration. Experts point out that various factors contribute to inflation, some of which are beyond a president’s direct control. While Trump attributed rising gas prices to Biden, the global economic landscape, including events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, plays a significant role in shaping price trends.
On the topic of immigration, Trump claimed that 20 million people crossed the border during the Biden-Harris administration, a figure that lacks substantiation. Official reports from U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicate a significantly lower number of encounters, comprising both arrests and stops at border crossings, alongside admissions of specific migrant groups under presidential authority.
Additionally, Trump mentioned Vice President Harris’ role in immigration matters, incorrectly labelling her as the “border czar.” Harris was designated to address root causes of migration in Central America and was not specifically tasked with border security.
Trump’s assertions about New York cases related to him were also examined. He inaccurately suggested that these cases were under the purview of the Department of Justice, whereas they were initiated by the New York Attorney General and Manhattan District Attorney, respectively, in civil and criminal contexts.
