Harris, Trump on Fox News

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump couldn't agree on a second debate, but the two last week appeared separately on Fox News on the same day -- although in much difference circumstances.

In her first appearance on Fox News as the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris had a combative interview with Bret Baier, while Trump had a friendly all-women audience for a town hall event hosted by Harris Faulkner. 

We reviewed the statements from both candidates, although we found that Trump made far more false and misleading claims. Here's a sample: 

• Trump inflated the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and falsely claimed that as president “I made them [South Korea] pay” the cost of those troops and that because of President Joe Biden, “they don’t pay anymore.” Trump’s negotiations over cost-sharing stalled in 2020, and Biden has negotiated two deals that have increased South Korea’s contribution.
• Harris left the misleading impression that Trump would only “give tax cuts to billionaires and the biggest corporations.” His proposals would cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations, but they would also benefit most other taxpayers.
• There’s no evidence that “the top people” at the Federal Emergency Management Agency “confiscated” Starlink satellite systems during Hurricane Helene recovery “because they didn’t want it to go there,” as Trump claimed. In fact, FEMA itself provided Starlink systems.

For more about these and other claims, see our article "FactChecking Harris’ and Trump’s Fox News Appearances."

Reader: Would you please tell me when and where Mr. Trump said that he was going to cut Social Security, per TV advertisement?

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: I don’t know what TV ad you are referring to, but we have written that former President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he has no plans to cut Social Security and he did not cut Social Security retirement benefits as president. 

For more on what Trump did as president, see our February 2020 article “Competing Claims on Trump’s Budget and Seniors,” which details how Trump had proposed cuts to the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs, but not to retirement benefits. 

For more on what Trump has said as a candidate in 2024, see our March 15 article, “Trump’s Comments About ‘Cutting’ Entitlements in Context.” That article is about how President Joe Biden claimed he caught Trump admitting that he wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. As Deputy Managing Editor Robert Farley wrote, "There’s some room for disagreement about what Trump may have meant. But Trump has consistently said at other times — not only in this campaign but also as president — that he would not make any cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits."

Wrapping Up

Here's what else we've got for you this week:

• "Crime Stats Still Show a Decline Since 2020": Crime statistics compiled by the FBI and other sources show an increase in violent crime, notably murders, in 2020 and a decline since. A revision to the FBI data this year doesn’t change that overall trend, despite claims made on social media and by the Trump campaign to the contrary.
• "Anti-Harris Ad Misleads on Enforcement of ‘Jessica’s Law’ in California": A misleading TV ad from a pro-Donald Trump super PAC claims that, as the attorney general of California, Vice President Kamala Harris “ignored” a state law and “allowed convicted sex offenders to live near schools and parks.” That’s a distortion of what happened.
• "Q&A on the 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccines": Updated COVID-19 vaccines targeting JN.1-lineage omicron variants of the coronavirus are now available in the U.S. for the fall and winter seasons. Here we answer common questions about the latest vaccines. 
• "False Comparison of Kid Rock’s and Taylor Swift’s Hurricane Support": As disaster relief efforts continue in the areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, a Facebook post makes the false claim that Kid Rock has made “14 trips to storm areas with a truckload of supplies” while Taylor Swift has offered no help. The claim originated on a satirical site. To the contrary, Swift has donated $5 million for hurricane relief. 
• "Win It Back PAC": Win It Back PAC is a conservative super PAC “dedicated to making sure Republicans win back the Senate and the White House in 2024,” according to its website. Its stated mission is to back “conservative leaders with a proven record of winning and implementing policies that American families deserve.”   

• "Pence no ha respaldado a Harris, un video editado dice lo contrario en las redes sociales": El exvicepresidente Mike Pence ha declarado que no respaldará al expresidente Donald Trump en las elecciones de 2024, pero también ha dicho que “nunca podría” votar por la oponente de Trump, la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris. Un video editado en redes sociales pretende mostrar engañosamente a Pence respaldando a Harris. Esto no es cierto. 
• "Meme recicla afirmación falsa de que el Comité del 6 de enero destruyó pruebas": El comité de la Cámara de Representantes que investigó el ataque al Capitolio de EE. UU. del 6 de enero de 2021 emitió un informe de más de 800 páginas presentando y analizando las pruebas sobre lo ocurrido ese día. También publicó videos, entrevistas transcritas, declaraciones y otros documentos. Sin embargo, algunos conservadores de alto perfil afirman falsamente que el comité destruyó “todas las pruebas”.