Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance witnessed the 2024 vice presidential debate on October 1, 2024. As is customary, the candidates stepped into the ring and presented arguments that many continue to label deceptive. Fact-checking their declarations.
JD Vance’s Claims
Iran’s Properties Within the Context of Policies of The United States Towards Iran And Its Government.
Vance alleged, “Where’s the money? Iran has gotten over $100 billion in unfrozen assets due to the Kamala Harris administration.” This statement is also inaccurate. The referenced figure does not consider the funds received but only the relief potential. After the American withdrawal in 2018, Iran’s frozen assets remained mostly frozen, with Treasury Department estimates claiming the actual number was more like 50 billion. While comparing the actual facts with the statement made by Vance, his characterization of the facts was quite simplified.
Trump and Obamacare
Vance asserted, “Donald Trump would have been able to bring down Obamacare.” This wide-ranging claim contradicts Trump, who made comments in 2017 stating that he wanted to “see Obamacare go away.” Many have observed that rather than enhancing people’s abilities to access healthcare, the Trump administration pursued policies that were arguably geared towards displacing the Affordable Care Act. Vance’s statement obfuscates a serious issue endemic in the U.S. healthcare system that has been ignored by several presidential regimes.
Missing Children
As Vance stated, “We have 320000 children the Department of Homeland Security has conveniently lost those children.” This statement is misleading because it distinguishes between children who Skipped court because they did not show up overhead and those who were away. The DHS report shows that there are different groups of unaccompanied minors who, because of fear of deportation or change of region, do not appear for scheduled hearings. The figures that Vance quoted here do not mean such children go missing within the system because foster parents have problems, but tackle families’ normal processes when operating within the flow of immigration.
Border Crossings
Walz argued, “Crossings are down compared to when Donald Trump left office.” This statement is indeed correct. The number of apprehensions at the US-Mexico border decreased in August 2024 as compared to January 2021. This should be understood, however, against the fact that the apprehension figures, accompanied by President Biden taking over the office, did set the highest records yet with over 2.2 million in the fiscal year 2023. A most brutal reality check comes from this: even though crossings are down, not visiting the border is the solution to the problem.
Iranian Missiles
Walz stated, “When Iranian missiles did fall near U.S. troops … Trump hardly bothered to argue this one as headaches.” This assertion is supportive of the previous one. After a reported rocket attack at a base where US forces were stationed in January of 2020, Trump looked at the media with a face of concern after hearing that several soldiers had sustained injuries and explained that they were “only headaches” and there was nothing to be concerned about.
John Kelly’s Critique of Donald Trump
Walz maintained that the former chief of staff to Trump, John Kelly, once told a reporter that the perception he ever had was of Mr. Trump – the most flawed human being that he had ever had.” That assertion is true. Such reports infrequently state that Kelly has said this to some acquaintances, which is highly critical of Trump’s vision and leadership and why these have always been issues amongst the Republicans.
Insulin Expenses
Walz claimed that before the Inflation Reduction Act, patients had been given around $800 for insulin. This was a law, for retail prices on the drug pre-inflation reduction legislation were rather august. The actual costs incurred will differ greatly because of other issues such as pharmacy costs, insurance, or copay expenses. While such a statement may have some factual basis, it only captures the truth to a degree, as this does not explain more of the issues related to price in history.
While voters evaluate these assertions, it is pertinent to stress the importance of carrying out such analysis before the election year 2024, given the complexities of the statements made. Fact-checking is important because it helps people know the truth from the falsehood and assists them in making wise choices.
