Fact check: Harris-Trump presidential debate claims debunked

US presidential nominees Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off in an occasionally heated presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.

From exaggerated statements on unemployment and bizarre stories aiming to fire the anti-migrant rhetoric, along with false numbers about the Russia-Ukraine war, DW looked at a few claims from the long night and debunked fact from fiction.

Unproven claim that immigrants eat pets

Claim: During the debate, former President Trump repeated a claim about immigrants eating pets in the US, particularly in the state of Ohio. "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating... they're eating the pets of the people that live there." 

DW fact check: Unproven.  

Trump repeatedly used anti-migrant rhetoric during the debate. The claim has been widely spread online in recent days, and promoted by Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. A day later, Vance stated in another post that it’s possible "that all of these rumors will turn out to be false."  

There is no evidence in support of this claim in Springfield, Ohio. Following Trump's comment, moderator David Muir noted that ABC News had reached out to Springfield’s city manager, who confirmed there have been no reports of pets being harmed, injured or abused by the immigrant community.

According to other media outlets, officials in Springfield, Ohio, said they have not received any credible reports of immigrants abducting or eating pets. 

On conservative websites, DW found articles that claim migrants harm animals, but they didn't provide any evidence. 

Do Democrats support the execution of babies? 

Claim: Trump said "under Roe v. Wade [...] you could do abortions in the seventh month, the eighth month, the ninth month" and added, "and probably after birth."  

DW fact check: Misleading 

Roe v. Wade , the landmark 1973 ruling that protected the right to abortion in the US, did not specify a particular month in which abortions should be legal. From the end of the second trimester, the state could regulate or prohibit abortions to protect the pregnant person's health or to preserve fetal viability.  

However, no US state permits late-stage abortion, and infanticide is illegal in the country. Media outlet Axios has compiled a list of states and their restrictions on how late in pregnancy abortions are allowed. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that less than 1% of abortions are performed after 21 weeks, typically due to serious medical conditions. 

Does Trump support a national abortion ban?

Claim: "If Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban," claimed Harris. "Understand in his Project 2025 there would be a national abortion ban." 

DW fact check: False 

Project 2025 is a nearly 1,000-page document published by the Heritage Foundation in 2023. It consists of detailed policy proposals put together by hundreds of conservatives, who hope Trump will adopt them if reelected. The project doesn't specifically mention a national abortion ban, but certain ideas that could lead to outlawing abortion nationwide.  

It's difficult to predict what stance Trump would take on a national abortion ban if he were reelected as US president. However, he has never explicitly stated that he would impose a national ban. Trump has avoided answering this question several times, including during the debate, where he did not provide a clear "yes" or "no." 

Vice President Harris referenced Project 2025 in her claim, stating that a national abortion ban is part of it. However, Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from the project. During the debate, he said, "I have nothing to do with Project 2025. That's out there. I haven't read it. I don't want to read it, purposely. I'm not going to read it."

Harris' misleading claim about unemployment 

Claim: "Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression," Harris claimed. 

DW Fact check: Misleading.

The Great Depression, a worldwide economic downturn, began in 1929 and lasted about a decade. The unemployment rate peaked in May 1933, with 25% of Americans out of jobs. The exact figures vary slightly depending on the data used, as some statistics were seasonally adjusted while others were not. 

In April 2020, under Trump's presidency, the unemployment rate surged to around 14.8%, the highest since 1933. It's important to note that it occurred at the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restrictions were in place to stop the spread of the virus. 

It may be true that this was the highest rate since the Great Depression, but when Biden took over the presidency in January 2021 the unemployment rate had already dropped back to around 6.4%. 

Trump claimed millions being killed in Russia-Ukraine war 

Claim: While answering a question about the Israel-Hamas war, Trump diverted the discussion to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He claimed, "If I were president, Russia would have never, ever [...] have gone into Ukraine and killed millions of people when you add it up."

DW Fact check: False 

This claim is a significant exaggeration. While it's difficult to independently verify death tolls during wars, reports show there haven't been millions of deaths, but several thousand. A UN report from February 2024 said more than 10,000 civilians have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and nearly 20,000 civilians have been injured.  

Did Trump end Nord Stream 2, and Biden bring it back?

Claim: Trump said: "I ended the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and Biden put it back on day one."

DW Fact check: Misleading. 

Nord Stream, a pair of natural gas pipelines running through the Baltic Sea, would have allowed Russia to increase the export of natural gas to Western Europe. The pipeline was damaged in an undersea explosion in September 2022. 
 
It's true that, in 2019, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 project. However, by that point, the pipeline's construction was nearly completed. 

Biden did waive sanctions against the project in May 2021, five months into his presidency. At the time, Biden said the sanctions would be "counterproductive" for US-European relations. However, in February 2022, following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Biden reinstated sanctions on the pipeline.  

Harris' misleading claim about a bloodbath 

Claim: "Donald Trump, the candidate, has said in this election there will be a bloodbath if this [...] the outcome of this election is not to his liking," said Harris.

DW Fact check: Misleading. 

Vice President Harris referred to comments Trump made at a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, in March. Trump immediately responded that his use of "bloodbath" was referring to the energy sector. Discussing the car industry, he addressed Chinese President Xi, saying: "We're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected."

He added: "Now, if I don't get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that's gonna be the least of it." He warned, "It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it. But they're not going to sell those cars." 

Trump spokespeople also told several media outlets at the time, including The Washington Post and NBC News that he was only talking about economics. 

Anna Bakovic and Saad Said Abubakar contributed to this article.