Democrats kicked off their convention in Chicago with all the fanfare of a rejuvenated party eager for the general election — having escaped any and all critical press interviews of the two candidates leading the ticket.
[RELATED: Tracking Kamala Harris’ Biggest And Baddest Lies: 20 And Counting]
Updated Aug. 23, 2024.
Kamala Harris Claims America’s Enemies Want Trump to Win
Kamala Harris claimed “tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong-un” are “rooting” for Donald Trump to win this November.
While there is no definitive way for Harris to know this, the actions of America’s biggest adversaries in the years since she and Biden assumed the White House suggest the exact opposite. Thus far, Russia has invaded Ukraine, Iran-backed Hamas launched a deadly terrorist attack on Israel, North Korea disavowed potential peace with South Korea, and China has ramped up its threats toward Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.
Kamala Harris Distorts Trump’s NATO Comments
While falsely claiming that Donald Trump “encouraged [Vladimir] Putin to invade our allies,” Kamala Harris distorted the former president’s remarks by claiming he told Russia it could “do whatever the hell [it] want[s].”
Harris’s characterization of Trump’s remarks is as inaccurate as when her boss said it during his State of the Union address earlier this year.
Trump’s remarks came during a South Carolina rally, during which he recounted a story from when he was president and speaking with a NATO member. Trump purportedly told this state that he would withhold U.S. support if they didn’t pay their minimum defense spending obligations.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump recalled telling the unidentified NATO member. “‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’”
Kamala Harris Lies About Disastrous Border Bill
Kamala Harris lied when claiming that a congressional immigration bill proposed and defeated earlier this year is the “the strongest border bill in decades.”
That statement is categorically false. The bipartisan measure would have enshrined the existing invasion into federal law.
Kamala Harris Lies About IVF
Kamala Harris falsely insinuated that Donald Trump is to blame if couples are “cut off in the middle of IVF treatments.”
As The Federalist previously reported, “Trump has openly touted in vitro fertilization, even though it is marred with ethical and moral pitfalls, as a procedure that Republicans and pro-life conservatives should promote.”
Kamala Harris Lies About Trump’s Position on Abortion
Kamala Harris untruthfully accused Donald Trump of attempting to “enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress,” designate “a national anti-abortion coordinator,” “force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions,” “limit access to birth control,” and outlaw a popular and dangerous abortion drug regime.
As The Federalist’s Jordan Boyd previously noted, Trump has regularly taken the position that laws limiting the murder of children in the womb should be left “up to the states.” He’s voiced opposition to signing a federal law curbing abortion and his vice-presidential pick J.D. Vance “similarly claimed the pill responsible for a 500 percent increase in abortion-related emergency room visits should remain legal and ‘accessible.’”
Kamala Harris Lies About GOP Pro-Life Laws
Kamala Harris falsely claimed that Republican pro-life laws that protect thousands of unborn babies from elective abortions bar doctors from treating women dealing with a pregnancy-related health issue, such as a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.
“I will tell you, over the past two years, I’ve traveled across our country, and women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs. Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients,” Harris claimed.
As The Federalist previously reported, “[t]here is a clear legal distinction between an induced abortion, which deliberately intends to end the life of the baby, and the medically classified ‘spontaneous abortions’ such as an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or early delivery with the intent of saving the baby and mother.” Furthermore, every pro-life law currently in effect contains exceptions allowing abortions when necessary to save the pregnant mother’s life.
Kamala Harris Lies About the Nature of Abortion
The vice president falsely asserted that signing a federal law authorizing abortions nationwide would “restore reproductive freedom.” As The Federalist’s Jordan Boyd accurately noted, however, the law would actually “subject thousands of babies and women, nearly 70 percent of whom felt their abortions were forced, unwanted, or contradicted their views, to harm.”
Kamala Harris Distorts Trump’s Tariff Policies
Kamala Harris claimed Donald Trump intends to effectively impose a “national sales tax” on Americans that she contended will “raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year.”
This claim is misleading and needs context. It appears Harris is citing figures from the left-wing Center for American Progress Action Fund, which, according to The New York Times, estimated that a potential policy “floated” by Trump to raise tariffs to 10 percent on most imports and at least 60 percent on Chinese imports could cost American families $3,900 a year.
Other economic groups cited by the Times predict such policies would cost less than the figures estimated by the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Kamala Harris Lies About Trump’s Tax Cuts
Kamala Harris falsely insinuated that the 2017 tax cuts approved by the Trump administration disproportionately benefited America’s wealthiest citizens.
“[Trump] fights for himself and his billionaire friends,” Harris claimed. “And he will give them another round of tax breaks that will add up to $5 trillion to the national debt.”
That is not true. Data produced by the IRS has shown that “on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent,” according to The Hill.
Kamala Harris Claims She Grew Up ‘Middle Class’
Kamala Harris falsely claimed that she came from the “middle class.” As previously noted by journalist Megyn Kelly, Harris’ father was a professor at Stanford University, while her mother was a biomedical scientist at UC Berkley.
Kamala Harris Distorts School Funding Statistics
During her DNC speech, Kamala Harris attacked Donald Trump for pledging to get rid of the Department of Education.
“We are not going to let him eliminate the Department of Education that funds our public schools,” Harris said.
As the left-wing “fact-checkers” would say, this statement “needs context.” While the federal government does finance public school systems, those funds typically account for less than 10 percent of taxpayer monies given to schools in a given year. During the 2019-2020 school year, for example, “47.5% of funding came from state governments, 44.9% came from local governments, and the federal government provided about 7.6% of school funding,” according to USA Facts.
Kamala Harris Lies About Trump’s Record on Entitlements
Kamala Harris claimed Donald Trump “tried to cut Social Security and Medicare.” Even The Washington Post’s so-called “fact-checkers” rated a previous version of this claim from the Harris-Walz campaign as “misleading.”
Kamala Harris Distorts Supreme Court ‘Presidential Immunity’ Decision
Kamala Harris distorted the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on presidential immunity by claiming the decision means Trump “would be immune from criminal prosecution.”
“His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy. His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens,” Harris contended in a hyperbolic fashion. “Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States.”
The vice president’s claim is misleading at best. While a majority of justices determined that presidents possess “absolute immunity” for “actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority” and “at least presumptive immunity” for “official acts,” they separately noted that “[t]here is no immunity for unofficial acts.”
The justices further remanded the Biden-Harris Justice Department’s get-Trump lawfare back to the lower courts to determine whether the actions alleged by Special Counsel Jack Smith constitute “official acts.”
Kamala Harris Parrots Jan. 6 Lies
Vice President Kamala Harris falsely claimed that Donald Trump “sent an armed mob to the U.S. Capitol” on Jan. 6. 2021, and further accused the former president of “fann[ing] the flames” after “politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help.”
That is false. During his J6 speech, Trump specifically telegraphed to protestors to “peacefully and patriotically make [their] voices heard.” Trump also released a video calling for peace during the riot and had previously sought to deploy thousands of National Guard members to the Capitol ahead of the demonstrations.
Tim Walz Says He Respects Minnesotans’ ‘Personal Choices’
While defending legalized murder of unborn children, Tim Walz claimed that, in Minnesota, “we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make.”
That statement could not be further from the truth. During the 2020 Covid outbreak, Walz instituted harsh lockdowns and mask mandates and created a state-run hotline allowing Minnesotans to snitch on their fellow residents for violating his draconian edicts.
Tim Walz Says He Represented a ‘Deep-Red’ Congressional District
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz claimed during his DNC address he ran for Congress in a “deep-red” district. That is not true.
Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District has been a contentious swing district for decades. According to USA Today, “It supported Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and Republican Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.”
DNC Airs Video Parroting Tim Walz’s Stolen Valor Claims
Ahead of his Wednesday speech, the DNC aired a video parroting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s stolen valor claims.
Walz “served 24 years in the National Guard, rising to command sergeant major,” the video’s narrator said.
That is false. While promoted to command sergeant major during the waning years of his service, Walz did not complete the minimum coursework required to retain the rank when he abandoned his unit ahead of its Iraq deployment to run for Congress.
DNC Airs Video Claiming Massacre on Jan. 6, 2021
The DNC presented a video to delegates on the convention’s third night claiming “nine people died in connection with the January 6th insurrection.” Only two people died in the riot, however, and both of them were Trump supporters.
Commerce Secretary Denies Jobs Report From Department of Labor
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was pressed by a reporter on ABC News about a revision to a previous jobs report from the Labor Department this week that found employment numbers were artificially inflated. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday there were 818,000 fewer jobs added to the American economy from March 2023 to March of this year than previously reported.
“When you hear that, do you potentially think that those new numbers could be a liability for this campaign?” a reporter asked.
“I don’t believe it, because I’ve never heard Donald Trump say anything truthful,” Raimondo said.
“It is though from the Bureau of Labor,” the reporter corrected.
“I’m not familiar with that,” Raimondo responded.
Barack Obama Lies About Failed Border Bill
Former President Barack Obama claimed that a congressional bill proposed earlier this year and opposed by former President Donald Trump would have “helped secure our southern border.”
That assertion could not be further from the truth, as the legislation would have only further exasperated the ongoing invasion.
Barack Obama Lies About Trump’s Tax Cuts
Former President Barack Obama falsely insinuated that the tax cuts signed into law under the Trump administration largely benefited America’s wealthiest citizens.
“[Trump] wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends,” Obama said during his DNC speech.
Data produced by the IRS, however, has shown that “on average all income brackets benefited substantially from the Republicans’ tax reform law, with the biggest beneficiaries being working and middle-income filers, not the top 1 percent.”
Barack Obama Distorts Job Growth Figures Under Biden-Harris
Former President Barack Obama insinuated that the Biden-Harris administration has created 15 million new jobs since coming into power. That is false. Obama is conflating jobs recovered after Covid lockdowns with actual, new jobs created.
Michelle Obama Says Trump Wants to Eliminate IVF
Former First Lady Michelle Obama warned delegates on the second night of the DNC that former President Donald Trump plans to “take away the freedom to become a mother through IVF [in vitro fertilization], like I did.”
The Republican Party’s 2024 platform reads, however, “we will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
Kamala Harris Is from the ‘Middle Class’
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed Kamala Harris is “for the middle class because she is from the middle class.”
That claim is not accurate. As noted by journalist Megyn Kelly, Harris’ father was a professor at Stanford University, while her mother was a biomedical scientist at UC Berkley.
Distorting Jan. 6 Death Figures
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin implied that the demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, caused the deaths of five Americans. As The American Spectator previously noted, that claim is patently false.
Kamala Harris Will Be the ‘First’ President
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul bizarrely asked Democrat convention-goers if they were “ready to elect Kamala Harris, the first president of the United States.”
That insinuation is untrue. George Washington was and always will be the first president of the United States.
Biden Repeats ‘Suckers’ and ‘Losers’ Hoax
Biden repeated the lie that Trump called deceased American soldiers “suckers” and “losers.” Numerous former Trump administration officials have publicly refuted the phony story. Even left-wing Snopes admitted, “there appeared to be no evidence of an audio or video recording of the remarks in question, nor was there any documentation, such as transcripts or presidential notes, to independently confirm or deny the alleged quotes’ authenticity.”
Biden Claims Republicans Have Declared War on History
Biden claimed “Trump and his mega-Republican right-wingers seek to erase history.” There is no evidence to support that assertion.
Biden Distorts Crime Stats
President Joe Biden provided misleading statistics when he claimed that “[v]iolent crime has dropped to the lowest level in more than 50 years.”
According to a 2023 report by The Marshall Project, the FBI changed the way it accepts crime data in 2021, resulting in a lack of police agencies reporting crime statistics to the federal government and producing an incomplete picture of existing crime rates.
“More than 6,000 law enforcement agencies were missing from the FBI’s national crime data [in 2022], representing nearly one-third of the nation’s 18,000 police agencies,” the report reads. “This means a quarter of the U.S. population wasn’t represented in the federal crime data last year, according to The Marshall Project’s analysis.”
As The Federalist’s Eddie Scarry recently noted, other forms of crime, such as carjacking, theft, and looting, have all risen in the years since Biden took office.
Biden Falsifies His Admin’s Covid Policies
President Joe Biden claimed that he and Kamala Harris “helped states and cities get back their schools back open” during the Covid outbreak.
That is false. The Biden-Harris Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly caved to demands from teachers unions to delay a full re-opening of schools during the early months of the administration, according to the New York Post.
Biden Distorts Number of New EV Charging Stations
President Joe Biden falsely claimed his administration’s efforts have led to the creation of 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations throughout the country. That statistic is false.
According to a June Reuters report, “Just seven electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations have begun operating with funding from a $5-billion U.S. government program created in 2021.”
Biden Regurgitates ‘Very Fine People’ Hoax
President Joe Biden repeated the lie that former President Donald Trump called white supremacists who partook in a 2017 Charlottesville march “very fine people.” Even left-wing “fact-checker” Snopes admitted earlier this year that the claim is untrue.
Biden Lies on Border Crossings
President Biden said on the first night of the convention that “there are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office.” Even The Washington Post, however, published data to contradict Biden’s claim, with less than roughly half a million illegal crossings in 2020 compared to more than 1.5 million in Biden’s first year and a record high in 2023.
Michigan State Senator Fearmongers Over Project 2025
Democrat Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow brought an inflated copy of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 to her convention speech as supposed evidence of Republican plans to “turn Donald Trump into a dictator.”
“Under Project 2025,” she said, “Donald Trump would be able to weaponize the Department of Justice to go after his political opponents! He could even turn the FBI into his own personal police force!”
It was under President Joe Biden, however, that the FBI was deployed to raid the private residence of the incumbent party’s chief political rival. Trump went on to face nearly 100 state and federal charges in the same year voters are headed to the polls.
McMorrow also said Trump was “completely immune from prosecution even if he breaks the law” as a consequence of rulings from his “hand-picked Supreme Court.” The Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity this summer, however, only offers immunity for “official acts.”
Tim Walz Introduced as ‘Command Sergeant Major’
The Democrats’ vice-presidential pick was introduced at a DNC meeting as a “command sergeant major” without correction, despite never completing the coursework to claim the title in retirement. Walz left the military as his unit began preparations for deployment to Iraq.
Politico Celebrates ‘A Party Lacking Drama’ at DNC Kickoff
Politico reported Democrats arrived for their nominating convention on Monday in Chicago as “a party lacking in drama” even though President Joe Biden was booted from the ticket and organizers are struggling to manage pro-Palestinian demonstrators who’ve already interrupted events.
“Democrats,” Politico reported, “are disciplined, orderly and united around Vice President Kamala Harris and, more to the point, thwarting former President Donald Trump’s restoration.”
Chicago protests, however, erupted in the nation’s third-largest city even before the start of the Democrats’ convention, with “hundreds” of anti-Israeli demonstrators crowding city streets and forcing road closures on the eve of the event.
Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the preemptive deployment of the National Guard to assist with security, confirming the likelihood of political unrest as thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Chicago’s Union Park on Monday and some have already interrupted official DNC programming.
Top Democrats, meanwhile, are still harboring resentment over the way Democrats removed the incumbent commander-in-chief from the top of the ticket as the convention gets underway.
“Top Democrats are bristling with resentments even as they are about to try to put on a united front at the United Center in the Windy City,” New York Times opinion writer Maureen Dowd reported over the weekend, adding that “everyone’s mad at one another.”
DNC Platform Endorses Biden’s ‘Second Term’
Four weeks after President Joe Biden was successfully pushed off the ticket, the Democrat Party’s 91-page platform, unveiled on the eve of the nominating convention, endorsed his “second term” in the White House.
“In President Biden’s second term,” the official platform reads, “he will push Congress to pass legislation that is consistent with our values as a nation.”
Biden, however, will be in California as Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepts the party’s nomination on Thursday night.
DNC Platform Blames Republicans for Biden’s Border Crisis
While celebrating plans for the wrong candidate, the DNC platform also blames Republicans for the border crisis after lawmakers rejected the package negotiated between Democrats and Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma.
“Congressional Republicans,” the platform reads, “are currently blocking President Biden’s bipartisan border security proposals because they lack the courage to stand up to Trump.”
But the proposal shot down last winter was little more than a rubber stamp of congressional approval for the ongoing crisis, with 5,000 crossings legalized per day plus asylum for all.
