Full coverage of the 2020 vice presidential debate between V.P. Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris.

By Michael Gordon
10/13/2020 • 05:44 AM EST

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: Click or tap on any techniquesee definition - the definition will be displayed here.
that appears in bold to show its definition.
: misleading claimsee definition - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: Trump called the Democrats' criticism of his handing of COVID (not COVID itself) "their new hoax."
: exaggerationsee definition - stretching the truth to make something seem more powerful or meaningful than it actually is.
: Not ALL travel from China was suspended. There were exceptions for U.S. citizens, permanent residents and the immediate family members of both.[1]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Biden did say Trump had a history of being xenophobic and hysterical, NOT that his decision to ban travel from China was xenophobic and hysterical.[2]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Harris said that Pence and Trump have failed in their handing of the pandemic, NOT that the American people have failed in their handing of the pandemic.
: red herringsee definition - throwing an irrelevant fact into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
Pence brings up how Americans have responsibly handled the Covid pandemic, which has nothing to do with why his administration held a super-spreader event in the Rose Garden.
: half truthsee definition - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Pence mentions that many were tested and it was an outdoor event, without mentioning it violated CDC guidelines on masks and social distancing, and also included an indoor reception in the White House.[1]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Harris said she had no confidence in a COVID vaccine that Trump might announce, NOT that she has no confidence in a COVID vaccine.
: whataboutismsee definition - discrediting a criticism by accusing hypocrisy, in order to shift the focus away from oneself and onto others.
: Pence shifts the focus from the Trump administration's failure in a pandemic to the Obama administration's failure in a pandemic.
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: As of 2016, the year before Trump took office, there were at least six warehouses holding approximately $7 billion in products, including more than 16,000 ventilators.[1]
: non-sequitursee definition - response that doesn't follow logically from or isn't related to anything previously asked or said.
: Harris turns a question about Biden's age into a monologue of her life story, from birth to becoming a U.S. Senator, while never answering the question.
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Repealing the Trump tax bill would take time and require Congress to pass new legislation.[2]
: baseless claimsee definition - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim.
: Trump's tax bill incentivized offshoring.[4]
: post hocsee definition - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist.
: Crediting the Trump tax cut for the rise in blue collar wages, when much of those gains can be attributed to minimum wage increases at the state level.[5]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Harris said Biden would raise taxes, but ONLY on those making over 400K a year.[5]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Biden's plan calls for reducing reliance on fossil fuels and fracking, NOT abolishing fossil fuels and banning fracking.[1]
: baseless claimsee definition - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim.
: Biden wants to repeal all of the tariffs on China.[2]
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Biden (and Harris at 26:37) did actually say that he would repeal the Trump tax cuts, without making any distinction.[6]
: half truthsee definition - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Harris mentions that Biden won't ban fracking, while ignoring that he would indeed ban new fracking leases on federal land.[2]
: reversal of realitysee definition - a statement that is not only verifiably false, but is the exact opposite of the truth.
: The plan Pence references would not protect those with pre-existing conditions, but would remove protections and allow insurers to price those with pre-existing conditions out of the market.[7]
: post hocsee definition - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist.
: Crediting the administration for U.S. air and water pollutants being at their lowest levels, when they had already been declining for the past 40 years as a result of EPA regulations.[2]
: reversal of realitysee definition - a statement that is not only verifiably false, but is the exact opposite of the truth.
: Trump has not made it clear that he'll listen to science, but has instead exhibited a pattern of publicly mocking or dismissing scientific warnings on climate change.[8]
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Most of the European Union countries in the Paris Climate Accord have seen declines of CO2 emissions twice that of the U.S.[2]
: misleading claimsee definition - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: While the number of hurricanes are generally the same as they were 100 years ago, today's are stronger and more deadly.[9]
: half truthsee definition - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Harris mentions that Biden won't ban fracking, while ignoring that he would indeed ban new fracking leases on federal land.[2]
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Biden's plan calls for raising taxes on the top 1% and banning only new leases for fracking on public land.[1][2]
: misleading claimsee definition - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The China trade war resulted in 300,000 fewer jobs, but not just in manufacturing, and the 300K refers to jobs that might have been created, not jobs lost.[1]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Biden did say Trump had a history of being hysterical and xenophobic, NOT that the travel ban from China was hysterical and xenophobic.[2]
: post hocsee definition - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist.
: Crediting Trump for NATO spending increasing, when NATO spending had already been increasing consistently in response to Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014.[10]
: accuse of lyingsee definition - reacting to undesirable truths simply with accusations of lies and lying.
: Pence calls absurd Harris's claims about Trump's lack of reverence for military personnel, when many of her claims are easily verifiable.[11]
: straw mansee definition - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Biden and Harris support abortion up to the moment of birth, IF the mother’s health or life is at risk.[2]
: pointed questionsee definition - a question that is difficult to answer in an ambiguous manner without appearing to be evading or dodging.
: bandwagonsee definition - creating social pressure to conform by promoting a sense of inevitable victory.
: false equivalencysee definition - implying that two things are essentially the same, when they only have anecdotal similarities.
: Between Democrats calling for and going through the standard impeachment process and Trump trying to subvert the electoral process.
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The IG's report released in December 2019 found no evidence of "spying."
: misleading claimsee definition - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The documents released were handwritten notes from John Brennen, referring to intelligence received from Russian sources.[12]
: false claimsee definition - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The Mueller Report did not conclude that there was no obstruction and/or no collusion.[8][13]
: misleading claimsee definition - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: A "phone call" where Trump tried to pressure a foreign power to interfere in a U.S. election.[14]
: out of contextsee definition - removing a passage or quote from its surrounding context in such a way as to distort its intended meaning.
: What Clinton actually said was under no circumstances should Biden concede the election, UNTIL all the votes have been counted.[1]
: baseless claimsee definition - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim.
: Universal mail-in voting will provide a massive opportunity for voter fraud.[7]

Total number of techniques detected over the 1:31:51 runtime of this video clip:


References
1. "FactChecking the Vice Presidential Debate". FactCheck.org. Published: October 08, 2020.

2. "Fact-Checking the Vice-Presidential Debate". The New York Times. Published: October 08, 2020.

3. "AP FACT CHECK: Trump and the virus-era China ban that isn't". AP News. Published: July 18, 2020.

7. "Harris vs. Pence: Vice presidential debate updates and analysis". NBCNews.com. Published: October 08, 2020.

8. "AP FACT CHECK: Pence on climate, Harris on taxes, in debate". AP News. Published: October 08, 2020.

10. "NATO Defense Funds Have Been Building for Years, but Trump Wants the Credit". Foreignpolicy.com. Published: December 03, 2019.

12. "Pence's allegations about Hillary Clinton: A guide for the perplexed". The Washington Post. Published: October 09, 2020.

13. "AP FACT CHECK: Trump, Barr distort Mueller report findings". AP News. Published: May 01, 2019.

14. "Anatomy of the phone call now imperiling Trump's presidency". AP News. Published: October 12, 2019.

15. "The Unique U.S. Failure to Control the Corona Virus". The New York Times. Published: August 08, 2020.