Truth-checking Tim Walz and JD Vance’s VP debate

Within the first and solely vice-presidential debate of the 2024 election, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance went head-to-head on the nation’s most urgent points.

With simply over 30 days until Election Day, the talk stage provided each candidates a possibility to enchantment to undecided voters and assist solidify the Democratic and Republican platforms.

The high-stakes, 90-minute debate was held on the CBS Broadcast Middle in New York Metropolis on Tuesday.

As Walz and Vance made their circumstances for a Kamala Harris or Donald Trump-led White Home respectively, ABC Information stay fact-checked their statements for solutions that have been exaggerated, wanted extra context or have been false.

WALZ CLAIM: Gov. Walz stated, “The individuals closest to them, to Donald Trump, stated he’s unfit for the very best workplace. That’s Senator Vance.”

FACT-CHECK: True

Vance has shifted his view towards Trump since he first rose to prominence. Early in his profession, Vance made plenty of feedback that have been disparaging towards Trump. The particular remark that Walz appears to be referencing right here is from a 2016 New York Instances op-ed written by Vance forward of the discharge of his e-book “Hillbilly Elegy.” Within the op-ed, Vance wrote, “Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest workplace.”

In years for the reason that op-ed was printed, Vance has stated his views on Trump modified.

-ABC Information’ Allison Pecorin

VANCE CLAIM: Sen. Vance stated, “We have got 20, 25 million unlawful aliens who’re right here within the nation.”

FACT-CHECK: False

Throughout Biden’s administration, immigration officers have encountered immigrants illegally crossing the U.S. border round 10 million occasions. When accounting for “received aways” — individuals who aren’t stopped by border officers — the quantity rises to about 11.6 million.

However encounters do not imply admissions. Encounters signify occasions, so one one that tries to cross the border twice counts for 2 encounters. Additionally, not everybody encountered is let into the nation.

The Division of Homeland Safety estimates about 4.2 million encounters have led to expulsions or removals. About 3.9 million folks have been launched into the U.S. to await immigration courtroom hearings beneath Biden’s administration, Division of Homeland Safety information exhibits.

-PolitiFact’s Maria Ramirez Uribe

VANCE CLAIM: Vance stated Iran has “acquired over $100 billion… due to the Kamala Harris administration.”

FACT-CHECK: False

Below President Barack Obama, Iran did take possession of $100 billion in unfrozen property after the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump later overturned.

However Harris was not concerned within the Obama administration. In August 2023, the U.S. introduced an settlement with Iran to safe freedom for 5 U.S. residents who’d been detained within the nation in trade for permitting Iran to entry $6 billion of its personal funds that had been frozen in South Korean banks.

The cash consisted of Iranian oil income frozen since 2019, when Trump imposed a ban on Iranian oil exports and sanctions on its banking sector.

The settlement additionally included the discharge of 5 Iranians held in U.S. prisons.

In April 2024, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo stated that these funds had been as soon as once more frozen after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist assaults on Israel and had not reached Iran.

-PolitiFact’s Louis Jacobson

VANCE CLAIM: Vance stated, “There’s an utility… the place you may go on as an unlawful migrant, apply for asylum or apply for parole and be granted authorized standing.”

FACT-CHECK: False

Vance’s try and correlate the CBP One App course of with Momentary Protected Standing is wrong, as is his assertion that it is akin to “the wave of a Kamala Harris open-border wand” and would “facilitate unlawful immigration.”

The CBP One App was created and launched beneath the Biden-Harris administration as a method to supply some migrants the power to use for an appointment at a port of entry to probably file an asylum declare and search different lawful pathways into the nation. It isn’t a assure that these migrants shall be allowed into the nation, however it’s a authorized course of by way of which they’ll request a possibility to make their declare.

Individually, the Division of Homeland Safety designates some nations Momentary Protected Standing when they’re deemed too harmful for migrants to return to. TPS is a program that started in 1990 and was prolonged to Haitian migrants in 2010 beneath then-President Barack Obama after a devastating earthquake.

The protections have been prolonged by the Division of Homeland Safety beneath the Trump administration, though he subsequently tried to finish protections, prompting courtroom challenges. Biden most lately prolonged TPS this previous June by way of Feb. 3, 2026. In an effort to be eligible for TPS migrants from these particular nations should already be residing in the USA on the time it is approved.

-ABC Information’ Armando Garcia

WALZ CLAIM: Walz stated, “Trump hasn’t paid any federal tax within the final 15 years.”

FACT-CHECK: False

Trump’s tax data since 2020 haven’t been made public.

A congressional committee launched parts of Trump’s tax data from 2015-20. In some years, Trump paid no federal earnings tax. However not in yearly. Trump’s 2018 return declared a complete earnings of $24.4 million, with a taxable earnings of $22.9 million.

Trump and his spouse, Melania, paid $999,466 in federal earnings taxes. In 2019, the Trumps paid $133,445 in federal earnings taxes.

The New York Instances reported in 2020 that Trump typically paid no earnings taxes earlier than being elected president, largely, they wrote “as a result of he reported shedding far more cash than he made.”

-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockma

WALZ CLAIM: Walz was in China through the Tiananmen Sq. Bloodbath in Beijing

FACT-CHECK: False

Walz has repeatedly claimed he was in China through the Tiananmen Sq., Beijing, protests throughout his year-long stint as a highschool trainer within the southeastern Chinese language city of Foshan beginning in 1989.

Tonight he admitted that was false, saying he “misspoke” earlier, although he traveled to China within the months after the protests. The college Walz taught at was close to Hong Kong. He was there as a part of the WorldTeach program, a nonprofit affiliated with Harvard College.

However in line with native newspaper clipping obtained by ABC Information, it seems he didn’t really journey to the nation till August 1989, The professional-democracy protests, which led to a lethal authorities crackdown by the Chinese language authorities, lasted from April 15 to June 4, 1989 — ending about two months forward of Walz’s journey to the nation.

An article within the Chadron File in Chadron, Nebraska dated August 11, 1989, stated that Walz, a graduate of Chadron State School, “will go away Sunday enroute to China, the place he’ll educate English and American historical past through the subsequent 12 months.”

Walz has spoken about Tiananmen Sq. repeatedly — why he supported the protests and why he stayed to be a witness.

As lately as in February, Walz stated throughout an episode of the podcast “Pod Save America” that he was in Hong Kong through the protests. “I used to be in Hong Kong when it occurred – I used to be in Hong Kong on June 4th when Tiananmen occurred … Fairly just a few of our people determined to not go in,” he stated, additional increasing on the expertise. “There was lots of Europeans in Hong Kong [saying] do not do that, do not go, do not help them on this, and my pondering on the time was … what a golden alternative to go inform the way it was. And I did have lots of freedom to do this, taught American historical past and will inform the story.”

Walz, whereas serving in Congress as rating member on the Government Fee on China, stated at a 2014 congressional listening to marking 25 years for the reason that bloodbath that “because the occasions have been unfolding, a number of of us went in.” “I’ll discuss so much,” Walz stated tonight. “I’ll get caught up within the rhetoric. However being there, the influence it made, the distinction it made in my life. I discovered so much about China.”

-ABC Information’ Isabella Murray & Justin Fishel

VANCE CLAIM: Vance says Walz ended protections in Minnesota for infants born alive

FACT-CHECK: False

Infanticide, the crime of killing a baby inside a 12 months of its start, is unlawful in all U.S. states.

In Could 2023, Walz, as Minnesota governor, signed laws updating a state regulation for “infants who’re born alive.” This alteration didn’t alter the truth that beneath state regulation, these infants are protected.

Beforehand, state regulation stated, “All affordable measures in keeping with good medical follow, together with the compilation of applicable medical data, shall be taken by the accountable medical personnel to protect the life and well being of the born alive toddler.” The regulation was up to date to as a substitute say medical personnel should “take care of the toddler who’s born alive.”

The regulation’s up to date model additionally stored the availability that stated, “An toddler who’s born alive shall be absolutely acknowledged as a human particular person, and accorded speedy safety beneath the regulation.”

Each one that is born has authorized protections beneath federal and state legal guidelines, consultants advised PolitiFact.

-PolitiFact’s Sara Swann

WALZ CLAIM: Walz stated, “Their Venture 2025 goes to have a registry of pregnancies.”

FACT-CHECK: Wants context

Walz has falsely claimed that Venture 2025 would require pregnant ladies to register with a brand new federal company designed to observe their pregnancies. Whereas the Venture 2025 coverage proposal is firmly towards abortion, it doesn’t name for monitoring pregnancies.

It does, nevertheless, name for states to trace abortions extra meticulously than present CDC guidelines mandate, or else face punishment like cuts to federal funding.

Vance and Trump have additionally each stated that Venture 2025 will not be related to their marketing campaign. It is price noting, nevertheless, that Trump advised Time Journal in April that states may determine to start out monitoring pregnancies as a approach to observe unlawful abortions, saying that overturning Roe vs. Wade returned these choices to the states.

“I believe they may try this. Once more, you will have to talk to the person states. Look, Roe v. Wade was all about bringing it again to the states,” he advised Time.

Extra broadly with reference to abortion, Venture 2025 does name for an finish to the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a broadly used abortion treatment, and requires a revival of a 150-year-old regulation that bans the cargo of abortion-related tools and drugs from being despatched through the U.S. Postal Service, which might make it far more tough for girls who’re taking the drug legally to entry the care.

In August, Trump signaled he was open to revoking mifepristone entry throughout a press convention in Mar-A-Lago when he responded to a reporter’s query about whether or not he would direct the FDA to ban the drug.

“You can do issues that… would complement. Completely. And people issues are fairly open and humane,” Trump stated, whereas additionally emphasizing at that convention that he wished to “give everyone a vote” on the difficulty.

When requested to make clear these remarks, Trump’s marketing campaign pointed to the previous President’s perception that abortion legal guidelines needs to be left to the states. The previous President has additionally stated he wouldn’t signal a federal abortion ban into regulation.

-ABC Information’ Justin Fishel

VANCE CLAIM: Vance claimed that Trump made the Inexpensive Care Act stronger

FACT-CHECK: False

The Trump administration lower hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in advertising and marketing and enrollment support for the regulation’s well being plans and backed failed congressional and authorized efforts to overturn the regulation.

The Trump administration in June 2020 requested the Supreme Court docket to overturn the regulation in a case greater than a dozen Republican-led states had introduced; the excessive courtroom rejected it.

Inexpensive Care Act enrollment declined by greater than 2 million folks throughout Trump’s presidency, and the variety of uninsured People rose by 2.3 million, together with 726,000 kids, from 2016 to 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported; that features three years of Trump’s presidency.

-PolitiFact’s Matthew Crowley and Julie Appleby

WALZ CLAIM: Walz claimed kids are NOT getting used a drug mules

FACT-CHECK: Principally true

In response to Mexican immigration officers, it is extremely unusual for kids for use to smuggle medicine. Nonetheless, the federal authorities has warned prior to now of youth being utilized by drug cartels.

Sources inside the Mexican cartels consulted by ABC Information in earlier protection say that their medicine are largely being smuggled by way of common factors of entry by Mexican residents with visas or by U.S. residents.

-ABC Information’ William Gretsky and Anne Laurent