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Moderators and candidates allow lies to prevail in presidential debate.

A recent poll reveals over half of Republicans and Democrats want presidential debate moderators to fact-check false statements in real-time.

Published July 4, 2024 at 5:02am by

Biden and Trump fail to fact-check each other during CNN's 2024 presidential debate

CNN explicitly stated that their moderators would not challenge the candidates over their accuracy. The result? A fact-free free-for-all.

During the June 27 presidential debate hosted by CNN, neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump effectively fact-checked each other, despite their attempts to do so. This left viewers with little guidance on the accuracy of their statements, with PolitiFact rating Trump's claims as largely false or misleading, and Biden's as requiring additional context.

A lack of pushback

Trump made multiple false and misleading statements throughout the debate, including:

  • Claiming that Biden "beat Medicaid to death," when, in fact, Black unemployment set a record under Biden, breaking Trump's previous record.
  • Falsely blaming inflation on illegal immigration, claiming it takes "Black jobs, and Hispanic jobs."
  • Misleadingly denying the possibility of inflation resulting from his proposed 10% tariff on foreign goods, contrary to economists' consensus.
  • Falsely claiming to have signed "the largest tax cut in history."
  • False accusations that Biden "weaponized" the justice system and allowed "millions of people from prisons" into the country.

Biden also made statements requiring clarification:

  • Repeating the claim that semiconductor jobs paying over $100,000 don't require a college degree, which PolitiFact rated "Mostly False."
  • Misrepresenting the state of Black unemployment, breaking his own previous record set during Trump's term.

Expert criticism

Northeastern University journalism professor Alan Schroeder said Biden's fact-checking attempts were ineffective, while Trump offered "alternative facts." He and other experts criticized CNN's decision to avoid moderator fact-checking, saying it disadvantaged Biden and allowed false narratives to go unchecked.

The network responds

A CNN spokesperson defended their approach, stating that the moderators' role was to facilitate debate and present questions relevant to voters, leaving fact-checking to the candidates. This stance is consistent with their pre-debate statements and those of CNN Political Director David Chalian, who deemed live fact-checking an unsuitable exercise for the presidential debate format.

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Read more: Presidential debate: Lack of fact-checks from moderators, candidates let lies prevail