NatZero will fact check the Trump town hall first. The Trump town hall here on this article, followed by a recap of the Biden town hall posted here as well after that event concludes.
Meaning watch them on YouTube or on your own TV, because both NBC and ABC disabled the off-site embedding of their streams for Trump and Biden respectively (The idiots at The Hill posted both articles without actually testing the streams first).
BIDEN SECTION
10:32 p.m. ET: Commenting on Trump’s unwillingness to say when he took a coronavirus test before the last debate September 28th, Stephanopoulos asked if Biden thought the next debate, scheduled for next week, would happen, and if he would debate Trump if Trump didn’t take a coronavirus test. Biden noted that he took a test before that town hall–as well as being tested daily–and he wouldn’t have come if it was positive. “It’s just decency,” Biden noted.
“I’m gonna abide by what the Commission rules call for,” Biden said. “I was prepared to debate him remotely, which was supposed to happen, and he said he wouldn’t do that, a virtual debate.”
Biden said the Cleveland Clinic was the organization overseeing health safety. “I don’t think they’re going to let happen what happened last time,” Biden said. “They’re going to demand that it’s safe.”
10:30 p.m. ET: Stephanopoulos asked Biden what a Biden loss in the election would say about the country. Biden said, “Well, it could say that I’m a lousy candidate and I didn’t do a good job.” Thoughtfully, Biden said he hopes it doesn’t mean we’re “as racially, ethnically and religiously at odds with one another as it appears [Trump] wants us to be.”
“We have the greatest opportunity of any country in the world to own the 21st Century, and we can’t do it divided,” Biden said.
10:26 p.m. ET: A Black man from Narbeth, Pennsylvania asked how Biden, if he loses, would use his platform to work to push Trump to the ideals of a more perfect union. Biden was hesitant with his answer. “Well, to be very honest with you, I think that’s very hard. He is not… things have not lent themselves to him learning from what’s happened, what’s gone before.” Biden noted that Trump’s actions didn’t change after impeachment (when he became the only president impeached who had a member of his own party vote to expel him); instead, Trump got emboldened. Biden said he would do the same work that he did prior to the campaign, working to making decency and honor prevalent in the country again.
“We’re a diverse country,” Biden said. “Unless we are able to treat people equally, we’re never going to meet our potential. But I think the American people want to see that happen. I think they’re ready to see it happen, and I’ll tell you one thing: If I’m elected president, you will not hear me race baiting. You will not hear me dividing. You’ll hear me trying to unify.”
10:19 p.m. ET: A new US citizen whose daughter is transgender asked how Biden would reverse the “dangerous and discriminatory agenda” against trans people and ensure that the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under US law. Biden said, “I would flat out just change the law” by eliminating the executive orders issued by Trump.
10:15 p.m. ET: A conservative who voted for Trump in 2016 noted that “peace is breaking out all over the place,” citing negotiations among hostile nations and Arab nations recognizing Israel. He asked if Trump’s foreign policy deserves some credit. Biden said, “A little, but not a lot.” Biden said that Trump’s foreign policy is isolationism, and our allies see the US as unreliable, as well as Iran getting closer to a nuclear weapon because Trump voided the Obama-negotiated nuclear deal. North Korea has more missiles and nuclear bombs and our NATO allies say they can’t count on us.
Biden went on to criticize Trump’s love of foreign dictators and authoritarians, from Putin to Kim.
“We’ve been most effective as a world leader, in my humble opinion, not just by the exercise of our power,” Biden said. “We’re the most powerful nation in the world, but the power of our example. That’s what’s led the rest of the world to follow us on almost everything. He’s pulled out of almost every international organization. He gets laughed at when he goes, literally not figuratively, when he goes to the United Nations.”
10:07 p.m. ET: A Black female republican who has voted for Democrats, but is undecided in the current election asked about fracking and the damage it’s causing to waterways and the environment in southwestern Pennsylvania. Biden was clear that he does not propose banning fracking, but instead he wants to see safe operations that do not emit harmful gasses, pollute wells or create micro-earthquakes during harvesting. Biden noted that there are 100,000 unused, uncapped fracking wells emitting harmful chemicals, which 120,000 workers could be hired to cap. He wants to promote carbon capture technologies. He also favors phasing it and other fossil fuel use out, in favor of renewables and clean energy, so that by 2035, energy creation will be net zero carbon emissions.
Biden said he would stop subsidizing oil companies. Biden also dismissed a goal of the New Green Deal to get rid of all fossil fuel usage in the US by 2030. “You can’t get there,” Biden said. “You’re going to need to transition.”
8:55 p.m. ET: Stephanopoulos asked what Biden would do with the findings of the Mueller report and how the Department of Justice would pursue actions against Trump and Trump Administration officials. Biden said the he would “let the Department of Justice do what the Department of Justice does,” i.e., pursue justice without political interference. Biden decried Trump’s turning the Justice Department “into his own law firm. You don’t own that Justice Department.” Biden said no Democrat or republican (except Trump) had the president tell the DoJ to pursue a specific person, or have the DoJ represent the president in personal matters.
8:52 p.m. ET: A “disaffected republican” who is the son of a Reagan Cabinet official asked how Biden would try to unify the nation. Biden noted that in politics, grudges don’t work. Biden noted his history of working across the aisle, and dismissed people who said that can’t happen anymore. “There are so many things we really do agree on,” Biden noted. “With Trump out of the way, the vindictiveness of a president going after republicans who don’t do exactly what he says gets taken away.” Biden says there will be 4 to 8 republican Senators who will move forward to gain a bipartisan consensus.
8:50 p.m. ET: A communications professional asked about providing stability in the Supreme Court appointments as well as the worries of LGBTQ Americans who are worried about losing their rights. Biden said LGBTQ Americans have a right to be concerned. Biden noted Barrett didn’t lay out a judicial philosophy. Biden noted that Trump will sue to overturn the ACA right after the election. Biden said he thought it was inconsistent with the Constitution to put someone on the Supreme Court while an election for president is underway.
Biden was asked about court packing. Stephanopoulos said that at a Democratic debate in 2019, Biden stated he didn’t support packing SCOTUS. Biden noted that there are “four or five” ways the Constitution allows changing the way a lifetime appointment takes place on the Court. Biden says he’s still not a fan of court-packing, but it depends on how the open seat situation is handled.
Stephanopoulos asked for clarification on “how it’s handled.” Biden said it depends on how much the Senate rushes through the debate and consent. Stephanopoulos said the vote is likely to take place before the election, and if that changed Biden’s view on court-packing. Biden said he’s open to discussing “what happens from that point on.” Biden promised to come out with a clear position on the issue after the Senate determines what it will do, because to say his opinion before would take focus off what the Senate and republicans are trying to do.
8:38 p.m. ET: A 2016 Trump voter asked Biden about his position on the 1994 crime bill he co-sponsored. Biden noted that the situation in 1994 was very different than now. He noted that he was against the “three-strikes” provision in the bill, but he supported the assault weapons ban. He also tried to get funding for building new state prisons out of the bill, because he knew the states would have to justify the construction by filling them. Biden noted his support for “drug courts” where drug users should go into rehab, not prison. Biden said he would expunge records of all marijuana use or possession (not dealing).
Stephanopoulos asked if it was a mistake to support the law because so many minor drug offenses led to jail time. Biden said straightforwardly, “Yes, it was” and noted that the mistake happened with what the states did locally. Biden set up a sentencing commission, which equalized sentences for people of all races, resulting in shorter sentences for Black people.
Stephanopoulos asked if Biden still agreed with his previous statements that “more police mean less crime.” Biden said “Yes, if they’re involved in community policing, not jump squads.” Biden noted that the GW Bush Administration eliminated community policing.
Biden stated that he would bring various groups–police, community and political–to address problems both federally and locally. He said he would train cops to de-escalate situations and also fund more mental health professionals to work with cops.
8:30 p.m. ET: A young Black voter asked Biden what he would say to young Black voters, an important demographic for Democrats, who sees a vote for Biden as perpetuating a system that “continually fails to protect them.” Biden quoted John Lewis in saying that “it’s a sacred opportunity to right the vote.” Biden asked rhetorically if he could earn his vote. He brought up criminal justice reform, to make it “more fair and more decent” to Black Americans and that we need to help Black Americans gain wealth. That means improving education, early education opportunities, and social services in schools. Biden also said that he would provide $70 billion to HBCUs so they can set up foundations to perpetuate funding. Biden said touted a credit for first time home buyers to help them build wealth and an Obama Administration program to help Black-founded start-ups, which he would increasing funding from $1.5 billion to $30 billion.
8:24 p.m. ET: Biden referred to a Moody’s study that showed his economic plan would create 7 million more jobs and increase GDP $1 trillion than under Trump’s plan. Read Moody’s report here.
8:20 p.m. ET: An engineer asked what Biden would do to ensure that the Trump tax cuts that benefited people making less than $400,000 per year were not eliminated. Biden pulled a card out of his coat pocket to show that he’s talking about repealing the tax breaks, amounting to $1.3 trillion that went to the top 0.1% of tax payers. Biden noted that 91 of the Fortune 500 companies didn’t pay a cent in taxes. By raising corporate tax rates to 28%, the US would raise $1.3 trillion in tax revenue. Reverting to the Bush-era tax levels on the top 1% would raise $92 billion.
8:16 p.m. ET: Biden was asked if he would encourage people to take a vaccine, or take on himself, if one is developed during the Trump administration. Biden said he would believe the scientists, not Trump, on recommendations. Biden noted that one of the treatments Trump received, Regeneron, is not ready for distribution. Stephanopoulos asked if Biden would mandate that people take the vaccine. Biden said it would depend on an efficacy of the vaccine. Biden noted he cannot mandate anyone taking it, but local officials can mandate it for going to schools, for example. Biden noted that scientists have published studies that wearing a mask can save 100,000 lives between now and the end of the year. He said that if masks were mandated, the economy could open more widely and more quickly.
8:14 p.m. ET: Biden is asked how he would have handled the coronavirus differently than Trump, who has done nothing to stop the spread of the pandemic. Biden noted that he and the Obama Administration had a team of CDC professionals in China that Trump recalled. (FACT CHECK: Trump cut the CDC office in China by two-thirds since he took office, including the liaison between the CDC and the Chinese government, an epidemiologist meant to keep communications open for things like a pandemic.) Biden correctly stated that Trump put the burden of response on governors. Biden corrected moderator Stephanopoulos on the timetable of his recommendations, saying that he followed up on a January editorial with one in March calling for more strict public health regulations. Biden said that he would follow the science, not necessarily the recommendations of specific scientists. He noted that Trump didn’t do testing and tracing. Biden noted that the Administration stopped supplying schools with PPE because they claimed it wasn’t an emergency. This is true.
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TRUMP SECTION
8:59 p.m. ET: In the wrap, Trump said the nation has the best economy and the most jobs in the history of our country. (FACT CHECK: Since Trump took office, the US has lost a net 3.7 million jobs; under Obama, the US gained 11.5 million jobs. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Trump’s average job growth was 188,700 per month; Obama’s was 212.57 during his last 44 months in office (the similar length to the Trump’s time in office. Data from BLS. 890,000 applied for unemployment last week, GDP growth is at -32% annualized growth, and the deficit exceeded $3 trillion.)
8:57 p.m. ET: A daughter of immigrants asked about immigration. Trump was noncommittal but mentioned the border wall and said that he thinks she would be “very happy in the next year.” Guthrie pointed to the fact that no refugees are allowed in the country. Trump said that the pandemic changed everything.
8:54 p.m. ET: A Black educator said she’s had tough conversations with her son and her students about police. She asked what Trump would do to protect people of color from police abuse. Trump said that Sen. Tim Scott worked on a bipartisan bill that would address police abuse. (FACT CHECK: This is untrue. Democrats were not part of the team that crafted the Scott legislation. A team of republicans wrote it and gave it to Democrats to review.) Trump also claimed that the government wouldn’t fund HBCUs in poor economic times. This is a lie. HBCUs have never faced federal defunding.
8:52 p.m. ET: A pro-life millennial asked what safeguards would be put in place to protect the life of the mother if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Trump said he hasn’t talked to any justice about Roe. He believes that it would be up to the states. Trump did not answer if he wanted Roe overturned.
8:50 p.m. ET: A Biden-leaning voter asked what Trump would say about republicans’ hypocrisy about filing a SCOTUS seat in an election year. Trump didn’t answer the question, saying the Democrats would do the same thing. Guthrie reminded Trump that he said in 2016 that the next president should fill a seat. Trump replied that he changed his mind based on how the Senate treated Brett Kavanaugh, which “was a game changer”–but it had nothing to do with the question. Trump said Barrett would rule “in one way or the other”–which is obvious–about the election. Trump claimed he didn’t talk to Barrett about any issues.
8:43 p.m. ET: Trump claims that he cannot release his taxes before an audit is complete. That’s a lie: presidents get audited every year and still release their tax returns. Trump claims that the report that was wrong and that *if* he only paid $750, it was a statutory fee, “a filing fee” he called it. That’s a lie. There is no filing fee for federal personal taxes.
8:41 p.m. ET: Guthrie asked Trump who he owes $400 million to, per the New York Times story. Trump claims he has a “very small percentage of debt” and he claims he took loans out to help financial institutions. (FACT CHECK: Most banks refused to loan to Trump. Only Deutsche Bank would loan him money.) Trump said he would give Guthrie a list of the people he owns money to, but claims he is “under-levered” [sic].
8:38 p.m. ET: Trump claims he “created more jobs than this country has ever seen.” FACT CHECK: That’s a lie. Since Trump took office, the US has lost a net 3.7 million jobs; under Obama, the US gained 11.5 million jobs. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Trump’s average job growth was 188,700 per month; Obama’s was 212.57 during his last 44 months in office (the similar length to the Trump’s time in office). Data from BLS.
8:37 p.m. ET: Trump says he’s ready to sign a “big beautiful stimulus.” Trump claims that he can’t get a bill together because of Nancy Pelosi, but Trump has yet to have any package that the republicans would vote for.
8:35 p.m. ET: Trump claimed that he cannot pass a new health care plan without repealing the Affordable Care Act. This is a lie. It would be an independent of the ACA and can also introduce the new law.
8:34 p.m. ET: A self-employed voter leaning to Trump asked for Trump’s health care plan to lower health care costs. Trump boasted that he got rid of the individual mandate. He claimed that he would always take care of people with pre-existing conditions. (FACT CHECK: The Trump Administration and 18 republican governors are suing to revoke all parts of the Affordable Care Act, including protections for pre-existing conditions. The suit is expected to hit the Supreme Court after Election Day.) Trump claimed that he brought down the cost of health care. This is a lie.
8:29 p.m. ET: The daughter of the ER doctor, who’s leaning to Biden asked if his view of mask wearing has changed. Trump reverted back to his story about the waiter with a mask. Trump claims that medical professionals disagree. He called Dr. Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist, is one of the “great experts of the world.” Trump claimed that he never had a problem with mask wearing, but he actually mocked Biden and White House reporters, among others for wearing masks.
8:25 p.m. ET: A Trump voter who’s an ER doctor asked how he’s going to get the US economy back on track and control the pandemic. Trump touted the jobs created in the US after his economy lost 20 million jobs in one month. Trump also said we had “the greatest economy we ever had.” That’s a lie. FACT CHECK: Trump’s best year in office saw 3.0% GDP growth; Obama’s was 3.1%. Obama also inherited an shrinking economy; Trump inherited an economy growing at a 1.6% rate. Trump’s best quarter, at 3.8%, would’ve been Obama’s fourth best quarter.
8:23 p.m. ET: A questioner asks why didn’t Trump do more than put a travel ban on China to stop the spread of coronavirus. Trump went on to brag about his China ban. He said there was no middle ground between claiming that “Everyone is going to die” and trying to keep people calm.
8:19 p.m. ET: Trump says that there’s widespread voter fraud, which Guthrie challenged that he was undermining democracy. Trump said that he “spent three and half years fighting off these maniacs.” He claimed that the Clinton Campaign worked with Russia. This is a lie.
8:18 p.m. ET: Trump says he retweeted a QAnon theory that Osama bin Laden wasn’t killed by SEAL Team 6. He didn’t take responsible for retweeting a lie.
8:16 p.m. ET: When Guthrie asked Trump a question about QAnon, Trump diminutively says, “So cute,” to her.
8:15 p.m. ET: Trump asks the moderator, Savannah Guthrie, “Are you listening?” Trump claims that he has always denounced white nationalism or white supremacy. Trump claims that he knows nothing about QAnon, although Trump has repeatedly retweeted QAnon theories. Trump claims he knows nothing about QAnon, but he knows they’re “against pedophilia.” So apparently he knows something about them.
8:12 p.m. ET: We won a case in Michigan because that governor has a lockdown where no one can do anything but her husband. FACT CHECK: WTF is he talking about?
8:11 p.m. ET: Trump said that the “disease was sent to us by China.” Trump claims that we’re doing better than the UK and the EU. That’s not true. Trump said that we beat other countries in excess mortality. That’s not true either, according to Trump’s CDC.
8:07 p.m. ET: Trump claimed that 85% of people who wear masks get the coronavirus. FACT CHECK: That’s a lie.
8:05 p.m. ET: Guthrie continues to ask Trump if he took a coronavirus test on the day of the September 28 debate. “Possibly I did; possibly I didn’t.” Trump says he takes a lot of tests, but he doesn’t remember his last negative test.
8:04 p.m. ET: Trump claims he has no lingering symptoms from COVID. Guthrie asked how severe his symptoms were. Trump claimed that the doctors said his lungs “were infected,” but he didn’t ask what he was infected with.
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