Thread by @DrewHolden360 on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App - "🧵Thread🧵 The media, focused solely on Trump, haven’t seemed interested in fact checking Kamala Harris. And not for lack of opportunity. So I decided to. Below are some false and misleading statements from last week’s debate. I could only fit so many. But give it a read. ⤵️
For starters, I think this image typifies how the media treat the two candidates. Dale’s sentiment here applied broadly to the rest of the media, who had eyes only for Trump. So let’s look at Harris, shall we?
1. She claimed that she was the only one on the debate stage with a plan for the middle class. That’s the type of claim the media usually says “needs context,” as the Biden-Harris admin has failed the middle class, as even CNN acknowledged.
2. Harris claimed that Trump intends to implement Project 2025, the latest monster-under-the-bed for Democrats. Beyond overhyping the details of the project itself, what Harris glossed over is that Trump has denounced the project, repeatedly saying he’s got no interest. Surely, fact checkers must’ve been climbing over one another to point out that this connection was bogus, right? That whatever else, Trump had clearly said he isn’t supportive of it? Well, no. The media mostly ignored the claim, or counterclaimed that really he does support it. If you’re wondering why, I have an idea. Okay, back to the facts.
3. Harris claimed Trump would ban abortion nationwide. Again, Trump has repeatedly said he won’t do this. He’s even taken heat for being too liberal on the issue from pro-life folks. But Harris keeps repeating it. And the media keeps ignoring it.
4. Harris also said that nowhere in the country are there full-term abortions. This simply isn’t true. As @MaryMargOlohan explains in a recent piece and thread:
5. Harris said she was tough on immigration, and would hire “1,500 new border patrol agents” Again, this is one of those claims that, if the political shoe were on the other foot, the press would say “needs context.” Harris supported decriminalizing illegal border crossings. And Harris led immigration for Biden. Much as she may deny it, I’ve got the receipts. She presided over the disastrous border policies that led to record crossings. That those facts aren’t front and center in this conversation elides the point.
Okay, not a fact check, but Harris bragged about the endorsement of Dick Cheney. Does anyone else think it’s really weird that the Dems are hyped that the guy who lied us into the Iraq war, whom Dems wanted tried for war crimes, supports their candidate?
6. Harris said that Trump would “weaponize” the legal powers of the federal government against his opponents. Again, this “needs context.” The Biden-Harris admin are doing precisely this to Trump. Isn’t it a touch rich for Harris to try to call it out?
7. Harris claimed (repeatedly) that she had been “very clear” about her position on fracking. Look at these screenshots, one from 2019, one from 2024, and tell me this is “clear.” I mean, the press have even celebrated how she’s pivoted on this topic!
8. Harris bragged about her and Biden’s investment in clean energy. But is that investment going anywhere? As I fact checked for Biden’s DNC speech, all that money has led to a grand total of 7 new charging stations, a key climate focus. Not 7,000. Not 700. Just 7. Nationwide.
9. Harris said “and some died” when describing law enforcement casualties at the Capitol on Jan 6. Whatever else you think about what happened, law enforcement personal weren’t killed as a result. To imply otherwise is dishonest.
10. Harris repeated the “very fine people on both sides” lie about Charlottesville. Even Snopes, no right wing rag, has explained that this isn’t real.
11. In a similar vein, Harris accused Trump of saying there’d be a “bloodbath” if he lost the election. The phrase is pulled, without context, from Trump’s remarks about the auto industry. To apply it instead to the country is bogus, and maliciously so.
12. Harris claimed that “there is not one member of the…military who is in active duty in a combat zone.” Even NYT disputed this one. Since they let most of her claims go, I’ll give them the floor:
13. Harris claimed she has a “plan” (again) for bringing down the cost of living. If so, why hasn’t she implemented it in three years as VP, while her admin has spiked the cost of living with inflation and other failed economic policies? Lovely time for “context.”
Bonus: I can’t not include the most ridiculous aspect of the debate “fact checking”: claims that Trump was wrong to accuse Harris of supporting trans surgeries for detained illegal immigrants. Problem was, she did. H/t @guypbenson for this terribly awkward NYT reflection. And @time produced one of the most cringe-inducing corrections on record (h/t @TimMurtaugh). Apparently @sbg1 didn’t get the memo from NYT. And I can’t not include this “needs context” claim from NYT initially, the ‘context’ being that Trump was right, apparently.
Look, I get the protest that Trump isn’t a beacon of truth. But the American people deserve to know whether what his opponent has to say is actually accurate. In many cases, it isn’t. And it’s impossible to ignore how all of this intersects with the media, who regularly repeat these bogus Harris claims as gospel truth. That they can’t do their “fact checking” with any integrity says a lot about the mission such work actually serves: furthering Dem interests. As ever, there’s too much here to fit into a thread. Read the full write up at my newsletter, @Holden_Court"
Jack Poso 🇺🇸 on X - "The craziest part of ABC rigging the debate tonight was that less than 2 months ago a crazed leftist tried to blow Trump's head off on live TV and not one question was asked about it"
Pundits said Harris won the debate. Undecided voters weren’t so sure - "In interviews, these undecided voters acknowledged that Harris seemed more presidential than Trump. And they said she laid out a sweeping vision to fix some of the country’s most stubborn problems. But they also said she did not seem much different from Biden, and they wanted change. And most of all, what they wanted to hear — and didn’t — was the fine print."
Meme - CrossPolitic @CrossPolitic: "No states have legal late-term abortions? From ABC News itself in June. #Debate2024"
"Abortion Access in the United States Post-Dobbs Decision AS OF JUNE 21,2024. Near-total ban. Up to 6 weeks. Up to 12 weeks. Up to 15 weeks. Up to 18 weeks. Up to 20-26 weeks. Up to 3rdtrimester. No restrictions based on gestational duration
SOURCE STATE LAWS, GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE"
"Fact checking" means reality can be whatever left wingers want it to be
Elon Musk on X - "While I don’t think the debate hosts were fair to @realDonaldTrump , @KamalaHarris exceeded most people’s expectations tonight. That said, when it comes to getting things done, not just saying nice-sounding words, I strongly believe that Trump will do a far better job. After all, if Kamala can do great things, why hasn’t she? Biden rarely shows up for work, so she’s basically in charge already. The question comes down to this: do you want current trends to continue for 4 more years or do you want change?"
Why Harris’ debate remarks about US military in combat zones is misleading - ""And as of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, first time this century."... Harris’ inclusion of "combat zone" in that statement is misleading and experts said it significantly underplays the broader landscape of active duty military service abroad. The Internal Revenue Service tracks combat zones for tax purposes. The term generally refers to "hostile areas where (the) military may serve, (including) actual combat areas, direct combat support areas and qualified hazardous duty areas," the IRS said on a webpage last reviewed and updated Aug. 19. Citing the Defense Department, the IRS said that as of August, recognized combat zones included the Sinai Peninsula, and the Afghanistan, Kosovo and Arabian Peninsula areas. Melanie Sisson, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank, said some of these combat zone designations, such as the one over Kosovo, are "holdovers" from previous U.S. military operations. But the combat zones do include areas in which U.S. service members are now deployed, she said... As of June, the nonpartisan think tank Council on Foreign Relations said the U.S. had several thousand service members stationed across multiple foreign countries and on ships at sea in the Middle East. Many of these countries are in the currently recognized combat zones listed on the IRS website. Specifically, the Defense Department and news outlets have reported that there are about 2,500 U.S. service members in Iraq and about 900 in Syria, fighting against Islamic State militants. Additionally, thousands of U.S. service members have been deployed to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023. There have been multiple instances this year in which U.S. service members have been killed or injured while serving abroad. In January, three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers were killed and at least 34 others were injured in a drone strike in Jordan. In February, two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned during an Iranian weapons seizure mission. In August, eight U.S. service members were wounded in a drone attack in Syria. That same month, another seven U.S. service members were injured in a raid targeting Islamic State militants. "It is not accurate to suggest that U.S. service members are not, today, in harm’s way," Sisson said. Peter Feaver, a Duke University political science professor who specializes in civil-military relations, echoed Sisson, saying many U.S. military personnel are engaged in operations "that put them at serious risk of attack by adversaries." "For the men and women serving on these and many other missions, not to mention their families and loved ones, this feels very much like serving in a combat zone," Feaver said... We rate Harris’ statement Mostly False."
Ian Miles Cheong on X - "Kamala Harris is lying about what Trump said at Charlottesville. She repeated the lie about how he said there were "fine people on both sides," cutting off and removing any sort of context to the statement he made. Even Snopes, a far-left publication, agrees with Trump."
Fact checks are only for those who threaten the left wing agenda
Donald Trump: ABC moderator Linsey Davis admits to fact-checking Trump due to concerns raised in CNN debate - " Davis defended her approach, saying that her team had intended to fact-check both candidates. However, she also acknowledged that she and Muir couldn’t catch every incorrect statement “There is a stereotype that I am acutely aware of that I can’t be unbiased,” Davis said, addressing the criticism."
What a coincidence that they couldn't materialise their "intentions"
Kyle Becker on X - "WHOA: CNN just HAMMERED ABC News for its biased presidential debate moderation.
ABC News constantly "fact checked" Trump and let Kamala off the hook for lying and dodging questions.
Even CNN sees the double standard. Wow."
Libs of TikTok on X - "There’s a police report, police call recording, and testimony from residents about Haitains stealing and eating animals in Ohio. ABC “fact checked” Trump on this and let Kamala get away with the bloodbath hoax, fine people hoax, and lying about police dying on Jan 6, violent crime being down, and not wanting to take away your guns."
Meme - Alex Berenson @AlexBerenson: "A counter POV on Trump's debate performance, which I am starting to think might be at least partly valid - his insanity about eating pets pushed immigration to the top of news in a way it hasn't been for months"
"Every news outlet is talking about Haitian illegals. Anyone thinking that helps Kamala is nuts. Like it's such short sighted thinking. They see a yass queen boss bitch brat summer. The rest of America is alarmed by the number of Haitians. Haiti is also... not a nice place! Some might even call it a shit hole"
ABC whistleblower reportedly files SEC complaint amid Trump-Kamala debate rigging accusations - "the whistleblower alleges that ABC News, owned by Disney, provided Kamala Harris' campaign with the presidential debate questions prior to the September 10, 2024, debate against Donald Trump. The complaint, submitted on September 20, 2024, also accuses Disney and ABC News of colluding with the Harris campaign to influence the 2024 presidential election. Loomer shared screenshots of two SEC submissions, indicating successful receipt of the complaints. The whistleblower, whose identity remains anonymous, claims to have evidence of these interactions between ABC News and the Harris campaign. The complaint mentions alleged discussions and documents suggesting Disney may have benefited monetarily or in other ways if Harris wins the election. The whistleblower also clarified that they do not support Donald Trump and have never voted for him. They voiced frustration over media bias on both sides of the political spectrum and alleged that the media's actions in this case are intended to sway the election in Harris' favor. The documents shared by Loomer contain personal information, and the whistleblower requested that this information remain confidential for their family's safety. Shortly after the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, an affidavit from an anonymous ABC News whistleblower surfaced online, alleging close collaboration between the network and Harris' campaign. Billionaire Bill Ackman reshared the affidavit, tagging Disney CEO Bob Iger, and raised concerns over its credibility, pointing out that certain details, like Harris' smaller podium, were mentioned in the affidavit before becoming public. ABC News, however, denied the claims, stating that Harris was not given any debate questions in advance, rejecting accusations made by right-wing figures, including Trump."
Ian Carroll on X - "As a former liberal- Everyone already voting democrat just watched Kamala eviscerate Trump. Everyone voting Trump just watched a three on one with no regard for facts. State of play hasn’t changed. Kamala is still the establishment pick backed by the entire neocon establishment. Trump is still the outsider backed by everyone willing to stand up to the empire. All I could think the whole time was damn I wish Bobby was on that stage."
@amuse on X - "FACT CHECK: Kamala Harris lied during the debate when she falsely claimed that Goldman Sacks suggested she would be better for the economy, according to the CEO."
Stephen L. Miller on X - "I said the reason for how the moderators behaved in the ABC debate was simply because they were not going to let happen to Kamala Harris, what happened to Joe Biden and here she is admitting it"
Who is Linsey Davis? ABC News anchor on the Trump-Harris debate - Los Angeles Times - "Davis, wearing pink glasses while speaking to The Times over breakfast at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia, said the decision to attempt to correct the candidates was in response to the June 27 CNN debate between Trump and President Biden, whose poor performance led to his exit from the race. “People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators,” Davis said."
FischerKing on X - "The trouble with voting for Kamala Harris is that she’s fundamentally trivial and will not actually be in charge. Her debate performance beat expectations, but at root it was a series of well-rehearsed 90 second speeches someone else wrote. That is what she would be as POTUS. An actress doing the bidding of whoever is in charge now while Biden hangs out on the beach."
Western Lensman on X - "This clip may be the most egregious example of ABC debate moderators' direct actions/inactions to affect viewers’ perceptions of the information presented at the debate. There are at least seven instances of this within a two-minute span. This is not “bias." It’s much worse. This is direct, planned interference in the debate outcome. When moderators take on the role of “fact checkers" the inference is that the absence of a “fact check” confers validity to the non-fact-checked information. When one side is repeatedly “fact checked,” while the other is not, that is a signal to the viewer that one side is not reliable and truthful, while the other side is. The ABC moderators had their orders, and here you see those orders executed. In this clip:
1) Trump says Pelosi is responsible for security at the Capitol. True. Muir intervenes on Kamala’s behalf by cutting him off with snarky retort, doesn’t acknowledging the validity of Trump’s statement, and immediately redirects to Kamala to set up her “answer" he knows is coming. This is direct action by Muir to affect the outcome of this exchange.
2) Kamala says she was at the Capitol on J6. She was there in the morning, but left to go to DNC HQ prior to the riot. Critical information is omitted. No fact-check.
3) Kamala says Trump incited a mob to attack the Capitol. False. Trump’s “peacefully and patriotically” comments are ignored. Trump is not charged with inciting violence. No fact check.
4) Kamala says that “some" police officers died on January 6. False. No fact check.
5) Kamala recites the Charlottesville “Fine People” hoax. This has been thoroughly and repeatedly debunked. No fact check.
6) Kamala recites the “stand back and stand by” hoax. This is designed to infer that Trump was ordering a “militia” to act on later orders, when he was clearly asking for a cooling of tensions. No fact check.
7) Kamala recites the “bloodbath" hoax. Trump was talking about the automobile industry, not violence. No fact check.
To quote Megyn Kelly on the ABC moderators: "They did exactly what their bosses wanted.""
AG on X - "Trump's claim is false, but the moderators are completely irresponsible for doing fact-checking against exclusively one side. Harris has made several false claims. It's the job of opponents to do fact-checking, not moderators."
Ryan Saavedra on X - "Went through the debate transcript and counted:
Trump was fact-checked 4 times
Harris was fact-checked 0 times
Muir/Davis pressed Trump 6 times for follow-ups
Muir/Davis pressed Harris 0 times for follow-ups
Trump made ≈14 false statements
Harris made ≈16 false statements"
Meme - The Seattle Times: "Trump falsely claimed during the presidential debate Tuesday that protesters took over a big portion Seattle during the Capitol Hill Organized Protest in 2020.
Fact check: Trump's claim that protesters 'took over a big p... From seattletimes.com"
Readers added context they thought people might want to know: "The Seattle Times themselves have reported on the very real incident in June of 2020 where violent protestors forcefully took control of a portion of Seattle's Capitol Hill area that was dubbed CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) or CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest)"
Cynical Publius on X - "OK, obviously the 3-on-1 approach backed Trump into a corner, it made him righteously angry (as we all were) and most MAGAs are upset at how this made him look bad while they propped up Harris. But please consider these questions:
1. For families who are economically struggling, who do you believe those struggling families now believe will speak for them? Trump or Harris?
2. Who will find Harris' smug, eye-rolling, nasty girl act appealing (other than green-haired childless cat ladies on SSRIs who already will vote Harris)? Don't underestimate what a turn-off her mannerism were.
3. America loves an underdog. Who did ABC's over-the-top propaganda make look like an underdog?
4. Who talked about policies to fix America's problems and who was the nasty sorority girl who snarkily mocked somebody she didn't like?
I don't think either candidate "won." I do think, however, that over time the take-aways from this debate will be (1) the media lies and Trump was righteously angry and (2) Harris is a character from that movie "Heathers.""
Clandestine on X - "We are witnessing a fascinating post-debate shift. The ABC “fact-checks” were not true, which has inversely drawn MORE attention to these topics, aka the Streisand Effect.
-Springfield
-Late term abortion
-Gun confiscation
Public discourse on X has thoroughly debunked ABC’s “fact-checks” and brought video receipts for every single Kamala lie. As time goes on, public perception is falling more in favor of Trump, thanks to the reach and influence of citizen journalists on X, and other social media, circulating the video evidence that disproves Kamala/ABC’s lies from the debate. This not only proves Kamala and ABC lied, but it’s further confirmation that the MSM are in bed with the DNC, and once again proves Trump was right about the media being corrupt and out to get him. The more the media attack him with such blatant bias, the more it validates Trump’s entire narrative, and discredits the Dems for weaponizing the media against Trump. They just proved a “Deep State” exists, while the entire world was watching. Initially, I did not think this debate would have much impact on public perception or change the calculus in November, but as I observe the public’s response on social media, I think this performance from ABC woke up more people than I projected. Normally the moderators are more subtle with their bias, but ABC made it so obvious, that some of the remaining normies are starting to notice. Glitches in the matrix."
Kyle Becker on X - "JUST IN: A former Clinton adviser is calling for a formal internal investigation into ABC News’ rigged presidential debate. Mark Penn called Thursday for ABC to probe if there was some effort at "rigging the outcome of this debate." Kamala Harris’ scripted answers calls into question whether she knew the questions in advance. There are unconfirmed reports an ABC News-employed whistleblower is willing to sign an affidavit that the network gave the Harris team advance notice of the questions. The ABC News moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir “fact-checked” Trump at least five times, while never fact-checking Harris, despite her telling lies and half-truths that have been widely fact-checked as being false. The debate moderator Linsey Davis had previously boasted on air about literally being Kamala Harris’ sorority sister. Harris is also good friends with Dana Walden, who is Disney’s co-chairman and oversees ABC News. She is the boss of the debate moderators. ABC News ran a three-on-one presidential debate and thereby committed election interference. This is a huge scandal. ABC News must be investigated!"
Meme - "Kamala during debate: We're anybody's guns away."
Kamala 3 days later: Vice President Kamala Harris @VP: "Congress must renew the assault weapons ban."
Time magazine issues correction for calling claim Harris supported funding migrant sex changes 'false' - "Time magazine was forced to correct its coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate after implying former President Trump’s statement that Vice President Kamala Harris supported free gender-transition treatment for detained migrants was "false."... "The original version of this story mischaracterized as false Donald Trump's statement accusing Kamala Harris of supporting ‘transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison.’ As a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris filled out a questionnaire saying she supported taxpayer-funded gender transition treatment for detained immigrants," a correction read. Many other far-left reporters also considered it too absurd to be true, implying Trump made the concept up during the debate. "’She wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison’ is the WILDEST thing I've ever heard in any debate. EVER," former CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill wrote. The New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser wrote, "Trump made history last night for sure. Who will ever forget him ranting on stage about immigrants eating people's dogs? Or insisting that the Vice President 'wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in jail'?" She also mocked the line in her piece about the debate Wednesday. "His line about how the Vice-President ‘wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison’ was pretty memorable, too. What the hell was he talking about? No one knows, which was, of course, exactly Harris’s point," Glasser wrote. The Atlantic staff writer Jennifer Senior joked, "’Transgender operations on illegal aliens’ is really unfair to those Americans playing drinking games." "’Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison.’ That’s verbatim," The Insider editor Michael Weiss reported. The Daily Beast also listed Trump’s quote as one of the "best memes" of the night without mentioning Harris’ past support. CNN brought Harris’ position back into the spotlight Monday night after senior editor Andrew Kaczynski reported to host Erin Burnett about the recently uncovered 2019 ACLU candidate questionnaire featuring Harris' policy position. "It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition. That’s why, as Attorney General, I pushed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide gender transition surgery to state inmates," Harris pledged. She continued, "I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained. Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment." Burnett was stunned by Harris’ answer... She later remarked, "I mean these are things that, you know, it would be hard to think that you would come up with taxpayer-funding gender transitions for detained migrants, and yet, as you say, written and verbally.""
Geiger Capital on X - "This is incredible… CNN’s Erin Burnett literally in shock about what Kamala Harris supported. “Taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for detained illegal migrants? She actually said she supported that??”"