President Joe Biden’s address at the Democratic National Convention was full of bold claims about his administration’s achievements and the challenges posed by the opposition. However, a closer examination reveals that some of these statements are completely inaccurate. Here’s a breakdown of the key claims from his speech and an assessment of their accuracy based on our independent review, a review done by CNN and one by PBS.
Abortion
Claim: “Trump will do everything to ban abortion nationwide.”
This Claim is: Completely Misleading.
While former President Trump did support restrictive abortion laws, including a 20-week national ban during his presidency, he has more recently stated that abortion should be “left up to the states.” Although he has hinted at supporting federal abortion bans, Biden’s claim exaggerates Trump’s current position, which is more focused on state-level legislation.
Health Care
Claim: “Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes will pay $35 a month.”
This Claim is: Partially True and Misleading.
Biden’s claim refers to the cap on insulin costs introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act, which limits out-of-pocket expenses to $35 a month for Medicare enrollees. However, most Medicare enrollees were not paying $400 a month before the changes. The average annual cost was significantly lower for most seniors, making Biden’s statement somewhat misleading.
Social Security and Medicare
Claim: “Trump wants to cut Social Security and Medicare.”
This Claim is: False.
Biden’s claim oversimplifies Trump’s stance. While Trump previously entertained the idea of major overhauls to Social Security, including cuts, he has recently stated that he would not cut these programs. Trump’s campaign has emphasized that “not a single penny” should be cut from Social Security.
Immigration
Claim: “The result of the executive action I took: Border encounters have dropped over 50 percent. In fact, there are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office.”
This Claim is: False, as it only focuses on an executive order signed recently. Not the entire time Biden was President, which is the actual immigration issue.
Biden’s claim is supported by recent data showing a significant drop in illegal border crossings as of late, particularly after his administration implemented new policies. However, attributing this decrease solely to a single executive action may be overly simplistic, as multiple factors influence migration patterns and this fails to take into account the entire immigration issue, which has allowed millions to enter the country over the past four years.
Crime Rates
Claim: “On (Trump’s) watch the murder rate went up 30 percent, the biggest increase in history.”
This Claim is: False and Misleading.
The murder rate did see an increase during Trump’s presidency, between 2019 and 2020. However, attributing this rise directly to Trump’s actions is completely misleading as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest have to be factored in as an unprecedented time. All things being equal, there was not an increase in crime rates over the time of Trump’s Presidency.
Economy
Claim: “The average semiconductor industry salary will be over $100,000 a year, and you don’t need a college degree.”
This Claim is: False.
Biden’s claim is false and misleading. While the average salary in the semiconductor industry is indeed high, around $170,000, the majority of those earning six figures have a college degree. For those without a four-year degree, the average salary is significantly lower, closer to $70,000.
Racial Wealth Gap
Claim: “During my tenure, there has been the smallest racial wealth gap in 20 years.”
This Claim is: Partially True and Misleading.
Biden’s statement is partially accurate. Federal Reserve data (which is just one source of information) does show a narrowing of the wealth gap between white and Black Americans, with the smallest disparity in 20 years. However, when measuring the gap by dollar amount, the disparity has actually widened, making Biden’s claim only partially true.
Taxes
Claim: “We have 1,000 billionaires in America. Do you know what their average tax rate is? 8.2 percent.”
This Claim is: False.
Biden’s claim about the tax rate paid by billionaires is one of his most pointed critiques of America’s economic system. The 8.2 percent figure refers to a theoretical calculation that includes income not currently taxed under the law. In reality, the richest Americans pay an effective tax rate of over 20 percent on the income recognized by the government. Biden’s comparison is not an accurate reflection of the current tax system.
President Biden’s speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention included several claims that, upon closer examination, are not accurate. A lot of the statements are based on a point of view that potentially contain elements of truth, but also include exaggerations or omissions that distort the full picture. It is essential to critically analyze these claims to understand the broader context and the reality behind them. All in all, most are false and misleading designed to make the Biden Administration look better and help Kamala Harris secure the Presidency.
The fundamental problem is, if the current administration was doing such a good job there would be nothing to debate and nothing to fix.
RibotskyInstitute.com 
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