Vice President Kamala Harris spread numerous false claims and fabrications during Tuesday's debate with former President Donald Trump that were not fact-checked by ABC's debate moderators.
Below are 21 false claims and myths that Harris made live in front of millions of Americans.
1. The “Very Fine People” Myth
Harris claimed Trump called the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville “very fine people” — a widely-held lie repeated by Democrats despite being debunked for years by numerous media outlets, including the left-leaning fact-checking site Snopes.
2. Project 2025 hoax
Harris accused Trump of wanting to implement Project 2025. This is false. Trump has repeatedly said he has no connection to Project 2025 and has never even read it.
Trump quickly corrected Harris on the debate stage, saying, “As you all know, and as Ms. Harris knows better than anyone, I have nothing to do with Project 2025. I have not read it, I have no desire to read it, and I have no intention of reading it.”
“There's nothing to do [with it]”Everybody knows I'm an open guy. Everybody knows what I'm going to do: I'm going to slash taxes and make our economy great again,” Trump added.
3. President Trump's false claims about the trade deficit
Harris claimed that the Trump administration had created the largest trade deficit in American history, which is demonstrably false.
The trade deficit grew to about $653 billion in Trump's final year in office, partly because of a drop in global demand for American products and services and partly because the U.S. economy recovered faster than other developed countries.
But the trade deficit never rose to the levels seen under former President George W. Bush or the Biden-Harris administration.
4. Putin can “do whatever he wants”
Harris claimed that Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin, “Do whatever you want and invade Ukraine.” This is false. Trump never told Putin, “Do whatever you want,” and he never told him to invade Ukraine.
To make matters worse, this false claim is coupled with blatant gaslighting, given that under a Biden-Harris administration, President Putin appears to be able to get away with things, including invading Ukraine, but not under a Trump administration.
5. The “dictator from day one” myth
Harris claimed that Trump “want to be a dictator from day one.” This is false. Trump has never said that.
Bizarrely, Harris tried to justify her own false allegations with another false claim (combining the above false allegations with gaslighting): that the 45th President told Putin “you can do whatever you want.”
Surprisingly, Harris did not mention that Putin has indeed had free reign under a Biden-Harris administration.
6. Blaming President Trump for the failure to withdraw from Afghanistan
In another example of unprecedented levels of gaslighting, Harris blamed Trump for her and Biden's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.
After being asked point-blank, “Do you bear any responsibility for how the withdrawal unfolded?”, Harris spoke about Trump's interactions with the Taliban and suggested the Biden-Harris administration was not to blame for its own failure to withdraw from Afghanistan.
This is not the first time Harris has falsely claimed that Trump was to blame for her and Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Last week, Harris' campaign tried to blame Trump for the withdrawal, claiming that he gave the Biden-Harris administration no “plan,” even though the withdrawal occurred seven months after Trump left office.
7. Putin will be “sitting in Kiev”
Harris argued that if Trump were president, Putin would “sit in Kiev and keep his eye on the rest of Europe.” This is false.
Russia under Putin invaded neighboring countries under the administrations of George Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, but never during the Trump administration.
8. The “Bloody Mayhem” Hoax
Harris also repeated the “bloodbath” hoax, falsely claiming that Trump would call for a “bloodbath” if he lost the election.
This was a long-debunked rumor; Trump was referring to the auto industry.
9. The Abortion “Monitor” Hoax
Ms Harris claimed Mr Trump wants to be a “watchdog” on abortion. This is false; Mr Trump has never said that.
This is not the first time Harris has made this false statement. Breitbart News fact-checked her when she made the claim at the Democratic National Convention. Notably, Harris never provided any evidence for her claim. The claim is simply false and intended to scare voters.
In making this assertion, Harris also made another false claim that Trump is trying to enact a “nationwide abortion ban.” Trump has repeatedly said he would not sign a federal abortion ban. Furthermore, abortion is not a federal issue. It's a state issue.
10. Rental property scams
Harris falsely claimed that Trump “refuses to rent properties to black families.”
This claim has been made for years but has never been proven; in 2016, the Associated Press fact-checked the claim. Report Trump and his father settled the lawsuit with the government without admitting fault.
11. The Central Park Five “Execution” Hoax
Ms Harris claimed Mr Trump called for the “execution” of the Central Park Five, which is false.
Trump has never specifically called for the “execution” of the Central Park Five defendants, a claim that Breitbart News fact-checked when Democrats made it at their convention last month.
12. The “idiots and losers” myth
Ms Harris alleged that Mr Trump has disrespected military personnel, including those who have died in battle, alluding to the “idiots and losers” myth, which is false.
The false claim that Trump called the dead soldiers “stupid losers” is a familiar hoax that has also been repeated by President Joe Biden. Atlantic OceanThis has never been directly corroborated and has been disproved by numerous witnesses.
13. False claims about fracking
Harris has claimed she has never called for a ban on fracking, which is false and that she explicitly called for an end to fracking during her 2019 presidential run.
14. False claims about oil production
Ms. Harris claimed that the Biden-Harris Administration has increased oil production. This is false. The Biden-Harris Administration has actively worked to curb domestic oil production.
Early in his administration, Biden Ordered The Secretary of the Interior ordered a moratorium on new oil and natural gas leasing on public lands and waters and a review of existing permits for fossil fuel development. In 2023, the Biden-Harris administration revoked oil leases sold by the Trump administration in Alaska's wildlife refuges and blocked new drilling.
15. Domestic Consumption Tax
Harris accused President Trump of proposing a national sales tax. This is false. President Trump has not proposed a national sales tax.
During the debate, Harris referred to the “Trump sales tax,” claiming it would raise prices of goods by 20 percent — presumably referring to Trump's proposed hikes to tariffs on imported goods.
However, tariffs are paid not by consumers but by companies that import goods from overseas, and are not consumption taxes.
16. Unemployment rate distortion
Harris claimed that President Trump “left us with the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression.” This is false; when President Trump left office in January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.4%, far from full employment.
17. “I grew up in a middle-class environment.”
Harris maintained that she grew up in a middle-class family, saying, “I was raised a middle-class kid, and I'm the only person on this stage who has a plan to uplift middle-class and working-class America.”
This is mostly untrue. Harris comes from a well-to-do Canadian family and grew up in the predominantly English Westmount area of French Quebec.
Interestingly, Harris made the “middle class” claim while completely dodging the question, “Do you think Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”, and the ABC host never brought her back to the topic again.
18. “Abolition” of the Constitution
Ms. Harris claimed that Mr. Trump wants to “repeal” the U.S. Constitution. This is false. Mr. Trump does not want to “repeal” the Constitution and has denied this lie.
Her allegations likely stem from President Trump's 2022 response to the New York Post's explosive reporting that Democrats conspired with what was then known as Twitter Inc. to cover up reports about Hunter Biden's laptop ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“The Fake News is actually trying to convince the American people that I said I wanted to 'repeal' the Constitution,” Trump said in a Truth Social post in 2022. “This is just plain disinformation and lies. Just like Russia, Russia, Russia and all their hoaxes and scams.”
“What I said is that when there is 'massive and widespread fraud and deception,' as was irrefutably proven in the 2020 Presidential election, steps must be taken immediately to right the wrongs,” Trump added.
19. “Sold out” to China
Harris claimed that Trump “sold us out” to the Chinese government with policies that “ended up selling American semiconductors to China.” This is false.
The Trump administration has blocked Chinese investors from buying U.S. chipmakers, restricted exports to China's largest chipmakers and significantly restricted sales to China as well as to third countries that do business with Chinese companies such as telecommunications company Huawei that it considers a national security threat.
In another example of blatant gaslighting, the Biden-Harris administration has reportedly begun approving third-party suppliers to sell chips to Huawei in 2021.
20. “Not a single unit” on any battlefield
Harris claimed that for the first time this century, there are currently no active military forces in any combat zones around the world. This is false.
Active-duty U.S. troops currently serving in Iraq and Syria have come under frequent attack from Iranian-backed militias over the past year, and thousands of active-duty U.S. Navy personnel deployed to the Middle East have faced drone and missile attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Earlier this year, three U.S. soldiers were killed by Iranian-backed forces on the Syrian border.
21. Gun Confiscation
Harris claimed that she and her lieutenant governor, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), are “not taking away anyone's guns,” which is false. Harris campaigned on a platform of banning AR-15s and other guns that Democrats call “assault weapons.”
Last month, Harris and Walz campaigned together for the first time, calling for a ban on AR-15s and other guns.
ABC debate hosts Lindsey Davis and David Muir were unable to fact-check the many false claims and fabrications made by Harris, but they frequently fact-checked Trump, with Muir oddly fact-checking a joke the 45th president had previously made.
Alana Mastangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her at Facebook And X is Follow,and Instagram.
