During the recent vice presidential debate, both Tim Walz and JD Vance made statements that were fact-checked for accuracy. Tim Walz, a Democratic congressman from Minnesota, made the claim that Vice President Mike Pence has been put in charge of the coronavirus response, which is not entirely accurate. While Pence is leading the White House’s coronavirus task force, he is not in charge of the entire response. Walz also claimed that the Trump administration has not made testing widely available, which has been a point of contention throughout the pandemic.
On the other hand, JD Vance, a Republican author and venture capitalist, falsely claimed that Joe Biden wants to eliminate fracking in the United States. While Biden has expressed support for transitioning away from reliance on fossil fuels, he has stated that he does not plan to ban fracking outright. Vance also made the assertion that Biden called President Donald Trump xenophobic for imposing travel restrictions on China due to the coronavirus, which has been debunked. In reality, Biden criticized Trump’s response to the pandemic but did not specifically refer to the travel restrictions as xenophobic.
Both candidates made some accurate statements as well. Walz correctly pointed out that the U.S. trade deficit with China has increased under Trump’s administration, and also noted that the national debt has grown under Trump’s leadership. Vance accurately stated that Biden has a history of supporting free trade agreements, highlighting Biden’s past support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Overall, fact-checking is an important tool for voters to use when evaluating the claims made by political candidates during debates. It is essential to verify the accuracy of statements made by candidates in order to make informed decisions at the ballot box.
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