Former Presidents Trump and Biden Clash Over Abortion in 2024 Debate: Fact-Checking Their Statements

Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia United States of America
Abortion has become a major issue in this year's election, with the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022 leading to increased support for abortion rights in various states.
Biden, on the other hand, went into the debate with abortion as a winning issue for Democrats. However, he struggled to articulate his position effectively during the debate.
Former Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden clashed over abortion during the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections.
It is important to note that both candidates made false claims during the debate.
Medical experts state that less than 1% of all abortions take place at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy, and most third-trimester abortions are medically necessary due to complications such as fetal anomalies or a woman's life being in danger.
These procedures are rare, expensive, and difficult to find.
This is a departure from his previous stance on the issue and marks an agreement with the Supreme Court's decision allowing emergency abortions in hospitals receiving federal funding.
Trump falsely claimed that late-in-pregnancy abortions occur frequently and even after birth.
Trump stated that he would not block access to the abortion pill mifepristone if he returned to the White House.
Former Presidents Trump and Biden Clash Over Abortion in 2024 Debate: Fact-Checking Their Statements

Former Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden clashed over abortion during the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections. Abortion has become a major issue in this year's election, with the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022 leading to increased support for abortion rights in various states.

Trump falsely claimed that late-in-pregnancy abortions occur frequently and even after birth. However, medical experts state that less than 1% of all abortions take place at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy, and most third-trimester abortions are medically necessary due to complications such as fetal anomalies or a woman's life being in danger. These procedures are rare, expensive, and difficult to find.

Trump also stated that he would not block access to the abortion pill mifepristone if he returned to the White House. This is a departure from his previous stance on the issue and marks an agreement with the Supreme Court's decision allowing emergency abortions in hospitals receiving federal funding.

Biden, on the other hand, went into the debate with abortion as a winning issue for Democrats. However, he struggled to articulate his position effectively during the debate.

It is important to note that both candidates made false claims during the debate. Trump made over 30 false claims throughout the night, while Biden made fewer but still inaccurate statements. It is crucial for voters to fact-check information from all sources and seek out reliable and unbiased news.



Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Are there any non-peer reviewed studies that could affect the statistics on third-trimester abortions?
  • Could Trump's stance on mifepristone change again if he returns to the White House?

Sources

100%

  • Unique Points
    • Former President Donald Trump made false claims about late-in-pregnancy abortions during a debate with President Joe Biden.
    • Less than 1% of all abortions occur at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy (late-term).
    • Most third-trimester abortions (weeks 29 through 40) are medically necessary and usually result from complications such as fetal anomalies or a medical condition in which the woman’s life is in danger. These abortions are rare, expensive, and often difficult to find a doctor to perform.
    • The number of women receiving no prenatal care during pregnancy or not until the third trimester increased to a record nearly 7% in 2021.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

77%

  • Unique Points
    • Joe Biden went into the debate with abortion as a winning issue for Democrats.
    • US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.
    • Support for abortion has increased in red and purple states since Roe v Wade was overturned.
    • Kamala Harris has been touring the country to talk about abortion rights on behalf of the Biden campaign.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (35%)
    The article is somewhat misleading in its portrayal of Biden's stance on abortion. It quotes Biden as saying that the decision about abortion should be between a woman and her doctor, which could be interpreted as implying that he supports unrestricted access to late-term abortions. However, this interpretation would be incorrect because later in the article it quotes Biden clarifying his position by stating that only when a woman's life is in danger should an abortion be permitted. This confusion may lead readers to believe that Biden's stance on abortion is more extreme than it actually is.
    • Joe Biden went into the Thursday presidential debate with one ace in the hole: abortion. And somehow, in a fumbling and frail performance, the president managed to blow even that.
  • Fallacies (80%)
    The author commits the fallacy of Dichotomous Depiction by presenting Biden's performance as 'fumbling and frail' without providing any context or evidence to support this characterization. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Biden's statements as 'incoherent, not clear,' and 'pretty dismal.'
    • The president managed to blow even that [abortion being a winning issue for Democrats]... It was pretty dismal.
    • At one point, he got the message in that politicians shouldn’t be making this decision at all. But it was not great.
  • Bias (75%)
    The author, Carter Sherman, demonstrates a clear bias towards the Democratic Party and their stance on abortion rights. He criticizes Joe Biden for his handling of the issue during a debate and implies that he abandoned his party's position by suggesting that doctors and states should have a role in deciding whether a woman can have an abortion. This is not an accurate representation of current federal law around abortion restrictions, which generally allows for abortions prior to fetal viability. The author also uses language like 'fumbled' and 'dismal' to depict Biden's performance negatively.
    • But instead of hammering Trump, whose administration paved the way for Roe’s demise and whose potential return to power could lead to federal abortion restrictions, Biden stumbled to give a single coherent answer about the procedure.
      • It was pretty dismal. It just seemed incoherent, not clear.
        • There’s little danger that staunchly pro-choice voters will leave Biden, according to Undem, since Democrats are so associated with abortion rights while Republicans are so linked to restrictions. But Biden’s inability to talk about what should be a slam-dunk issue for Democrats may bolster concerns that he’s just not up for a second presidency.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        97%

        • Unique Points
          • Former President Trump stated that he would not block access to the abortion pill mifepristone if he returned to the White House.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        50%

        • Unique Points
          • Trump falsely claimed that some Democratic-led states allow babies to be executed after birth.
          • Trump falsely claimed that every legal scholar wanted Roe v. Wade overturned.
          • Trump falsely claimed that there were no terror attacks during his presidency.
          • Trump falsely claimed that Iran didn’t fund terror groups during his presidency.
          • Trump falsely claimed that the US has provided more aid to Ukraine than Europe has.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (0%)
          The article makes editorializing statements and engages in selective reporting by only reporting false claims made by Trump without mentioning the number or false claims made by Biden. The title itself is sensationalist and manipulative.
          • > Trump made more than<30 false claims at the Thursday debate.
          • Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump made false and misleading claims during CNN’s presidential debate on Thursday – but Trump did so far more than Biden, just like in their debates in 2020.
          • Trump's repeat falsehoods included his assertions that some Democratic-led states allow babies to be executed after birth.
        • Fallacies (55%)
          The author makes several statements about the number of false claims made by both Biden and Trump during a debate. However, the author's focus on Trump's false claims outnumbers Biden's leads to an appeal to superiority fallacy. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Trump's false claims as 'repeat falsehoods'. Additionally, the author makes several dichotomous depictions by contrasting the number of false claims made by each candidate.
          • Trump did so far more than Biden, just like in their debates in 2020.
          • The US currently has its biggest budget deficit and its biggest trade deficit with China.
        • Bias (0%)
          The author of this article does not demonstrate any bias towards a specific political ideology or party in their reporting. However, they do provide a clear and factual account of the false claims made by both President Trump and President Biden during the CNN presidential debate. The author's role is to report on the facts, which they have done objectively. However, due to the large number of false claims made by Trump compared to Biden in this particular debate, it could be argued that there is a slight bias towards factual accuracy and truthfulness.
          • that Iran didn't fund terror groups during his presidency,[
            • that there were no terror attacks during his presidency,[
              • that the US has provided more aid to Ukraine than Europe has,[
                • ]Trump made more than[30] false claims at the Thursday debate.[
                  • Trump's repeat falsehoods included his assertions that some Democratic-led states allow babies to be executed after birth,[
                  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                    None Found At Time Of Publication
                  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                    None Found At Time Of Publication