Trump's Enablers: Truth Loses Out to Lies in Bias-Riddled Debate.

Biden and Trump Debate: A Farce in Failed Fact-Checking

In the 2024 presidential debate, moderated by CNN, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off, peddling their records from their first terms. What ensued was a disappointing display of inadequate fact-checking by both candidates, leaving viewers misinformed and misled.

CNN's Hands-Off Approach:
Prior to the debate, CNN announced https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/06/27/cnn-tapper-bash-debate-fact-check/ moderators wouldn't challenge the accuracy of claims, leaving it to the candidates to rebut each other. This approach empowered false narratives to flourish. #AlternativeFacts

PolitiFact Exposes the Truth:
According to PolitiFact https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/jun/27/2024-presidential-debate-live-fact-check/, Biden made a few false and misleading statements, but Trump took the cake with a multitude of falsehoods, earning a "Pants on Fire" rating. Trump's unchallenged misleading statements included claims about tariffs, tax cuts, inflation, Afghanistan, and the economy.

Trump Ignores Questions, Spins Falsehoods:
Throughout the debate, Trump evaded https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/06/29/trump-debate-dodging-answers/ questions on crucial issues like climate change, the Capitol riot, Israel-Hamas conflict, and child care costs, resorting to pre-prepared talking points. He missed prime opportunities to challenge Biden's exaggerated claims about the economy, including the false statement that billionaires pay only 8.2% in taxes.

Biden's Confusing Rebuttals:
When challenged, Biden struggled to provide clear and detailed rebuttals to Trump's onslaught of false claims. He became entangled in his delivery, sounding rehearsed and muddled. Biden failed to effectively counter Trump's misleading statements on inflation, tax cuts, and the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Experts Weigh In:
Northeastern University journalism professor Alan Schroeder summed it up: "[Biden] tried to fact-check Trump but was ineffective... Trump didn't fact-check so much as offer ‘alternative facts’." University of Texas professor Shannon Bow O'Brien noted that Biden's fact-checking was lost in his confusing delivery.

Boston University professor Tammy Vigil highlighted the impact of the moderators' silence, stating it "clearly advantaged Trump," allowing his false narratives to go unchecked.

Despite their intentions, the absence of moderator intervention enabled the spread of misinformation, leaving voters in the dark about the truth. A disappointing display from both candidates, once again highlighting the importance of rigorous fact-checking and media literacy in today's political landscape.

References

• https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/jun/27/2024-presidential-debate-live-fact-check/
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jul/13/joe-biden/joe-bidens-dubious-math-federal-income-tax-burden/](PolitiFact Billionaires)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/apr/15/joe-biden/fact-checking-joe-bidens-claim-on-education-requir/](PolitiFact Semiconductor)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/feb/05/donna-brazile/donna-brazile-reince-priebus-disagreed-on-when-bla/](PolitiFact Black Unemployment)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/may/15/joe-biden/joe-biden-wrong-that-he-inherited-9-inflatio/](PolitiFact Inflation)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/may/14/donald-trump/does-china-mostly-pay-us-tariffs-rather-us-consume/](PolitiFact Tariffs)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/jan/30/donald-trump/donald-trump-wrong-again-recent-tax-bill-biggest-e/](PolitiFact Tax Cut)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/may/15/joe-biden/joe-biden-wrong-that-he-inherited-9-inflatio/](PolitiFact Inflation Blame)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/oct/28/facebook-posts/posts-falsely-say-joe-biden-broke-donald-trump-afg/](PolitiFact Afghanistan)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/oct/08/facebook-posts/no-donald-trump-didnt-lead-greatest-economy-histor/](PolitiFact Economy)
• [https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/may/30/fact-checking-donald-trump-after-guilty-verdict-tr/](PolitiFact Weaponized Justice)
• [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/jun/06/donald-trump/fact-check-trumps-ridiculous-claim-that-millions-o/](PolitiFact Immigrants)
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/06/27/cnn-tapper-bash-debate-fact-check/
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/06/29/trump-debate-dodging-answers/](WaPo Trump Dodging)
• Boston University poll