Biden on the Stump

In advance of the final debate, we look at what the candidates have been saying on the campaign trail and what you might expect to hear tonight. Here we write about nine claims made by Biden.

FactChecking Biden’s Town Hall

At a televised town hall in Philadelphia, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made false and misleading claims on COVID-19, health insurance, the 1994 crime bill and more

Viral Post Overstates Effect of Trump’s Order on Preexisting Conditions

A popular Facebook post wrongly claims Trump’s recent executive order protects people with preexisting conditions. That would require an act of Congress and would only be necessary if Obamacare is repealed or overturned.

Biden’s Factual Distortions

Former Vice President Joe Biden distorted the facts in two interviews in the wake of the Nevada caucuses:

• He claimed that one of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders, “was opposed to Obamacare.” Sanders voted in favor of the bill in 2009, saying it was “not as strong as I wanted” but “begins to move this country toward the long-time goal of providing comprehensive, affordable health care for all Americans.”
• In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Biden falsely claimed that he had never labeled South Carolina as his campaign’s “firewall,” in case he didn’t perform well in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Biden has used that metaphor more than once.

Bloomberg, Trump Spar on Preexisting Conditions

In response to a Mike Bloomberg TV ad on health insurance, President Trump fired back on Twitter, “I was the person who saved Pre-Existing Conditions.” In fact, Trump backed Republican plans that would have weakened the protections in the Affordable Care Act.