PoliticoThe 10 biggest whoppers you can expect to hear at the first presidential debate

Here’s where Trump and Biden are most likely to play fast and loose with the facts ahead of Tuesday night’s face off

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Joe Biden and US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00am, 30 Sep 2020Updated: 9:04am, 30 Sep 2020

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Quint Forgey on politico.com on September 29, 2020.

The first debate showdown between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will animate reporters and fact-checkers across the United States, who have grown accustomed to prosecuting claims by a president known for questionable assertions and outright falsehoods. And although Biden hews much more closely to facts than his Republican opponent, the former vice-president has earned his own reputation for occasional hyperbole and frequent verbal gaffes.

So with those characteristics of the candidates in mind – as well as the debate’s potential consequences for the presidential contest – here are 10 false or misleading statements likely to be uttered after Biden and Trump take the stage in Cleveland.

Trump says Democrats are sending millions of ‘unsolicited’ ballots to Americans, which will result in widespread voter fraud.

Only nine states are automatically mailing all voters ballots this year, regardless of whether they requested one or not. Five of those states – Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington – regularly mail every voter a ballot. Four states – California, Nevada, New Jersey and Vermont – are doing so because of the pandemic, as is Washington, DC. Montana also has given counties the option to do so, and most of them have taken advantage of it.

Cases of election fraud in the United States are exceedingly rare, and there is no proof of the type of mass fraud Trump has alleged. Experts acknowledge there are some slightly higher fraud risks associated with mail-in voting compared with in-person voting, but only when proper security measures are not in place. A recent study found that voting by mail does not benefit one party over another.

Trump says A coronavirus vaccine will be ready ‘within a matter of weeks’, and Biden will ‘delay the vaccine’ if elected.

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Here’s where Trump and Biden are most likely to play fast and loose with the facts ahead of Tuesday night’s face off

Here’s where Trump and Biden are most likely to play fast and loose with the facts ahead of Tuesday night’s face off