40 Facts About The Presidential Debate

Early Debate Date

The 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a significant event, primarily because of its unusually early date. This debate set the stage for the election season much earlier than usual.

1. The 2024 presidential debate was notable for its early date. Typically, presidential debates are held in September or October, but this year's first debate took place on June 27, 2024.

Moderators and Format

The debate was moderated by experienced CNN anchors who ensured a smooth and orderly discussion. The format also included a unique feature to maintain decorum.

2. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, who ensured that the candidates adhered to the debate rules and did not interrupt each other excessively.

3. The debate format allowed CNN to mute candidates' microphones when it wasn’t their turn to speak, preventing interruptions and maintaining order.

Key Topics Discussed

The debate covered a wide range of critical issues, reflecting the differing policies and perspectives of the candidates.

4. The debate covered a wide range of topics including immigration, the economy, abortion, and the candidates' ages. Both candidates clashed on these issues, reflecting their differing policies and perspectives.

Immigration Claims

Immigration was a hot topic, with both candidates making bold claims about their policies and their impacts.

5. Biden Claim: "I've changed (the law) in the way that now you're in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally."

6. Fact Check: This claim is mostly true. The Department of Homeland Security announced that illegal immigration encounters dropped by 40%, to fewer than 2,400 each day, in the weeks after Biden announced a policy largely barring asylum access for people entering the U.S. at the southern border.

7. Trump Claim: "People are coming in and they’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen."

8. Fact Check: This claim is misleading. While some migrants have been charged with murder and other heinous crimes, available studies have found that migrants living in the country illegally do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans. Government statistics also show a very small fraction of migrants processed by Border Patrol have criminal records in the U.S. or other countries that share information with American officials.

Economic Claims

The economy was another major point of contention, with both candidates touting their achievements and criticizing each other's records.

9. Trump Claim: "We had the greatest economy in the history of our country."

10. Fact Check: This claim is false. Trump's economic performance is not the best in U.S. history. If the 2020 pandemic is excluded, growth after inflation under Trump averaged 2.49%, according to figures from the World Bank. This is far from the GDP growth under Democratic President Bill Clinton of 3.88%, according to World Bank data. Including the time period after COVID spread, that average drops to 1.18%. Under Mr. Biden, annual GDP growth is averaging 3.4%, according to the Associated Press.

11. Trump Claim: The unemployment rate under Trump was lower than under Biden.

12. Fact Check: This claim is false. In January 2023 and April 2023, the unemployment rate was 3.4%, which is lower than the best month during Trump's term. Under Mr. Biden, the unemployment rate is 4%, according to the most recent data from May 2024.

13. Trump Claim: The stock market performed exceptionally well under his presidency.

14. Fact Check: This claim is true. On Jan. 19, 2021, the S&P 500-stock average closed at 67.8% above where it had been the day before Trump was inaugurated in 2017.

Prescription Drug Costs

Prescription drug costs are a significant issue for many Americans, and both candidates addressed this during the debate.

15. Biden Claim: "We brought down the price of prescription drugs, which is a major issue for many people, to $15 for – for an insulin shot, as opposed to $400."

16. Fact Check: This claim is false. The Inflation Reduction Act that Biden signed into law capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month for all seniors on Medicare, according to the White House. Several pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, followed suit and limited the monthly cost of the drug to $35 per month as well. There is no evidence Biden limited the cost of insulin beyond this.

Border Patrol Endorsement

Endorsements from key groups can be influential, and Biden made a claim about support from the Border Patrol.

17. Biden Claim: "The border patrolmen endorsed me, endorsed my position."

18. Fact Check: This claim is partly false. The National Border Patrol Council – the labor union that represents more than 18,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents – posted to X, formerly Twitter, minutes after Biden made the claim and said, “To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden.” However, the union supported the proposed bipartisan border agreement that Biden backed and Trump opposed.

Crime Bill and African Americans

The debate also touched on historical issues, including Biden's past legislative actions.

19. Trump Claim: Biden called African Americans ‘super predators.’

20. Fact Check: This claim is false. While Biden once warned of “predators” in 1993 while advocating for a 1994 crime bill he sponsored as a senator, he never referred to African Americans as “super predators.” It was then-first lady Hillary Clinton who linked that term to the 1994 crime bill during her husband's campaign in 1996.

Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Attack

The Capitol attack was a significant event in recent history, and Trump made a claim about Pelosi's responsibility.

21. Trump Claim: Pelosi said "I take full responsibility for Jan. 6."

22. Fact Check: This claim is false. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not say she took responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Instead, she said she took responsibility for not having them prepare more for the event, referring to U.S. Capitol security.

Immigration and Crime

Trump made several claims about the relationship between immigration and crime, which were scrutinized during the debate.

23. Trump Claim: Immigration officials arrested about 103,700 noncitizens with criminal convictions from fiscal years 2021 to 2024.

24. Fact Check: This claim is true but misleading. The data reflects people stopped at and between ports of entry, but it does not necessarily mean they were let into the country. Immigration experts said despite the data’s limitations, there is no evidence to support Trump’s statement that millions of people with criminal convictions were allowed into the U.S..

Black Unemployment Rate

Biden highlighted his administration's achievements in reducing Black unemployment, a key metric of economic health.

25. Biden Claim: The record for low Black unemployment rate was set under his presidency.

26. Fact Check: This claim is mostly true. The record for low Black unemployment rate was set under Biden in April 2023, at 4.8%. It has risen modestly since then to 6.1% in May 2024, but that’s still lower than it was for much of the first two years under Trump.

Viewership and Ratings

Presidential debates draw significant viewership, reflecting their importance in the election process.

27. The presidential debates draw a significant number of viewers. Although viewership as a share of the total TV audience has broadly fallen over the decades, they can still attract more people than just about any other televised event besides the Super Bowl. Over 73 million people watched at least some of the first Trump-Biden debate in 2020, according to Nielsen Media Research.

28. Older people were most likely to watch the first Trump-Biden debate. The debate drew a 42.7 rating among viewers ages 55 and older, versus 25.5 among 35- to 54-year-olds and 12.0 among 18- to 34-year-olds.

29. Ratings for the presidential debates have risen and fallen over the decades. The four 1960 debates all had ratings of around 60.0, meaning roughly six-in-ten households with TV sets were tuned to the debates. When the debates were revived in 1976, their ratings were lower – generally around 50.0. Ratings trended lower over the next two decades but have generally trended modestly upward since then.

30. Voters find the debates useful, but not necessarily determinative. Pew Research Center conducted post-election surveys from 1988 through 2016. In most cases, six-in-ten or more voters said the debates were very or somewhat helpful in deciding which candidate to vote for. The high point was 1992, when 70% of voters said the three debates that year between Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ross Perot were very or somewhat helpful.

Historical Context and Sponsors

Understanding the historical context and the organizations behind the debates can provide insight into their evolution and significance.

31. Presidential debates have long been criticized on both substantive and stylistic grounds, but they remain a major part of the campaign season. The first televised debates in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon set the stage for future debates, which have evolved in format and content over the years.

32. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has sponsored all presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988. However, this year’s debates were organized by CNN and ABC, bypassing the CPD. The CPD has proposed a vice presidential debate for Sept. 25, but it’s not yet clear that the Biden and Trump campaigns will agree to participate.

Immigration Policy Impact

Biden's immigration policies have had a measurable impact on illegal border crossings, which was a key point during the debate.

33. Biden’s policy change aimed at reducing asylum access at the southern border resulted in a significant drop in illegal border crossings. Daily illegal border crossings averaged roughly 2,000 in the weeks following the policy announcement, a 47% drop from the 3,800 daily average in May.

Crime Rates and Immigration

The relationship between immigration and crime was a contentious topic, with research providing a clearer picture.

34. Research suggests that overall crime levels have fallen in cities where a Texas program has transported migrants from the border. Crime is down year over year in Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, New York, and Los Angeles, according to NBC News. Washington experienced an increase, but officials do not attribute that spike to migrants.

35. Immigrants actually commit fewer crimes than people born in the U.S. This contradicts Trump’s claim that immigrants are causing unprecedented levels of crime.

Economic Performance and Unemployment

Economic performance and unemployment rates are crucial indicators of a president's success, and both candidates made claims about these metrics.

36. Under Trump, GDP growth after inflation averaged 2.49%, excluding the 2020 pandemic. This is lower than the GDP growth under Democratic President Bill Clinton of 3.88%. Including the time period after COVID spread, that average drops to 1.18%. Under Mr. Biden, annual GDP growth is averaging 3.4%, according to the Associated Press.

37. In January 2023 and April 2023, the unemployment rate was 3.4%, which is lower than the best month during Trump’s term. Under Mr. Biden, the unemployment rate is 4%, according to the most recent data from May 2024.

38. On Jan. 19, 2021, the S&P 500-stock average closed at 67.8% above where it had been the day before Trump was inaugurated in 2017.

Prescription Drug Costs and Border Patrol Endorsement

Prescription drug costs and endorsements from key groups were also discussed, with both candidates making notable claims.

39. The Inflation Reduction Act capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month for all seniors on Medicare. Several pharmaceutical companies followed suit, limiting the monthly cost of the drug to $35 per month as well. There is no evidence Biden limited the cost of insulin beyond this.

40. The National Border Patrol Council never endorsed Biden. However, they supported the proposed bipartisan border agreement that Biden backed and Trump opposed.

Final Thoughts on the 2024 Presidential Debate

The 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a significant event, shedding light on their differing policies and perspectives. Held unusually early on June 27, it covered key topics like immigration, the economy, and crime. Fact-checking revealed some claims were accurate, while others were misleading or false. Biden's statements on immigration and Black unemployment were mostly true, but his claim about prescription drug costs was off. Trump's economic boasts didn't hold up, though his stock market performance claim was accurate. The debate's early timing, moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, and the use of microphone muting, kept things orderly. Viewership trends showed older audiences were more engaged. Understanding these facts helps voters make informed decisions. The debate remains a crucial part of the election season, offering insights into each candidate's vision for the future.