Key fact checks from the first US presidential debate of 2020

The first presidential debate proved a chaotic affair that at times had more shouting and cross talk than policy. However, claims made by President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden kept fact-checkers busy during the fiery 90-minute event in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday night. Here are some key fact checks from the night on the coronavirus, racial justice protests, the economy, and voting. Coronavirus When it came to the coronavirus, one of the most pressing issues facing the country, Trump made the audacious claim that the death toll in the US, which is currently more than 200,000, would be 10 times higher if Biden had been president, while saying children are not vulnerable to the disease. Those two claims were among many the president made that were false and misleading. The accusation that there would be a higher death toll under Biden is predicated on the false assertion that Biden opposed Trump’s early February China travel restrictions. While Biden was slow in staking a position on the matter, when he finally did, he supported the restrictions. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">