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: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: 2.2 million people in the U.S were expected to die, only if the country did nothing in response to the virus.^[1]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The COVID spikes in Florida, Texas, and Arizona are not gone.^[2][3]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: A COVID-19 vaccine isn't ready and won't be announced in weeks.^[4]

: proof by anecdote - making broad generalizations based on individual stories or isolated examples that support that generalization.
: Trump reassures others that they will recover quickly from COVID because he did, while providing no data to suggest that such a recovery is typical among older adults.

: appeal to anonymous authority - insisting something is true based on the opinion of unnamed or vague experts.
: Many world leaders have praised Trump's COVID response, without specifying who those world leaders are.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: New COVID-19 cases are dramatically increasing nationally.^[5]

: false equivalence - implying that two things are essentially the same, despite being significantly different, by focusing on anecdotal or superficial similarities.
: Between the Obama administration's response to the H1N1 swine flu outbreak and the Trump administration's response to COVID-19, ignoring that H1N1 was far less lethal than COVID-19.^[6]

: false dichotomy - giving the impression that only two opposing options exist while ignoring the possibility of any middle ground or nuanced alternatives.
: Between living in total isolation in response to the pandemic or living life as usual, overlooking the range of balanced strategies that can both protect public health and avoid impinging on personal freedom.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: On average, about 96% of people in the U.S. recover. Approximately 4% die.^[7]

: passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault.
: For the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. onto China.

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: Biden took no official position on the China travel restrictions.^[8]

: proof by anecdote - making broad generalizations based on individual stories or isolated examples that support that generalization.
: Trump generalizes from his child's quick recovery that all young people recover easily from COVID, while presenting no data to show this is the norm for childhood infection.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Fauci recommended not wearing masks to preserve PPE for health care providers and back in February he said the risk was "low,"

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Trump got $13.8 million in campaign contributions from Wall Street.^[5]

: saber-rattling - making nonspecific threats of consequences to intimidate an adversary and/or impress an audience.
: Biden warns that any country interfering in a U.S. election will "pay a price," without specifying what that price would be.

: innuendo - implying something negative or controversial without explicitly stating it, leaving the audience to infer the intended meaning.
: By raising the question of why Trump has not acted against Putin despite Russia’s hostile actions, Biden implies that Trump may be aligned with or complicit with Putin, without explicitly making the accusation.

: post hoc - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist.
: Taking credit for NATO spending increases, when NATO spending had already been increasing in response to Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014.^[9]

: FUD - raising uncertainty and doubt about an issue while offering few specifics and no credible evidence to support the concerns.
: The statement alleges financial impropriety with emotionally charged phrases like "horrible emails" and "raking in money," which creates suspicion without offering any concrete evidence and shifts the burden onto the accused to dispel the allegations.^[10]

: baseless claim - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim.
: Trump pre-paid his taxes.^[11]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The $750 "they keep talking about" is not a filing fee, but the amount Trump paid in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017.^[11]

: appeal to pity - portraying oneself as a victim to elicit sympathy, deflect criticism, and foster a sense of shared vulnerability with the audience.
: Trump portrays himself as a victim of unfair treatment by the IRS, invoking a sense of politically-motivated targeting alongside other groups who share similar grievances.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: While the Mueller report doesn't conclude that Trump committed a crime, it found evidence of obstruction and criminal activity by others in the campaign.^[9]

: FUD - raising uncertainty and doubt about an issue while offering few specifics and no credible evidence to support the concerns.
: The statement insinuates financial impropriety through phrases like "they say you get some of it" and "you live very well," which relies on ambiguity to imply wrongdoing and fosters suspicion through insinuation rather than offering any concrete evidence to support the allegations.^[10]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: George Kent testified that Hunter's position at Burisma made him vulnerable to being used as a conduit for currying influence with Joe Biden.^[12]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Trump never disclosed the Chinese bank account and it remains open.^[9]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The China trade deficit has gone down, not up, to slightly below where it was during the end of Obama's term.

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The steel tariffs have hurt demand and cost jobs, to where the steel industry now employs 1,900 fewer workers than it did when Trump took office.^[13]

: the last word - the cognitive tendency to better remember or emphasize the most recent information encountered, compared to earlier information.

: false dichotomy - giving the impression that only two opposing options exist while ignoring the possibility of any middle ground or nuanced alternatives.
: Between going to nuclear war with a foreign adversary or maintaining a personal friendship, ignoring other geopolitical strategies like deterrence, economic sanctions, and multilateral diplomacy.

: passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault.
: For escalating tensions with North Korea onto the Obama administration.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Trump efforts to strike down the ACA would allow insurers once again to deny coverage for those with preexisting conditions.^[9]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Biden has no plans to terminate any private insurance policies.^[5]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Approximately 4 million Americans lost their private plans under Obamacare, when it first kicked in.^[14]

: appeal to anonymous authority - insisting something is true based on the opinion of unnamed or vague experts.
: The biggest analysts are saying the market's fate rests entirely with Trump, without specifying which analysts are saying that.^[15]

: common folk - connecting with an audience by giving the impression that you understand and share their everyday struggles and concerns.
: By contrasting the booming stock market with the economic realities of his hometown, Biden portrays himself as empathetic to the disparity between wealthy individuals and ordinary people.

: passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault.
: For the failure to pass a COVID relief bill onto Pelosi.

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: McConnell said he would "be in favor of allowing states to use the bankruptcy route."

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: A 2019 CBO report did find that a minimum wage hike to $15 hour could cost 1.3 million jobs.^[16]

: passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault.
: For 500+ immigrant family separations, where they can't find the parents, onto coyotes, cartels, and other bad people.

: half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Trump mentions "over 400 miles of brand new wall," without mentioning that only 15 miles of that is where none had previously existed.^[5]

: projection - accusing an opponent of using the same underhanded tactics or committing the same misdeeds the accuser is guilty of.
: Trump accuses Biden of mistreating migrant families, while facing criticism for mistreating migrant families.^[17]

: projection - accusing an opponent of using the same underhanded tactics or committing the same misdeeds the accuser is guilty of.
: Trump accuses Obama/Biden of mistreating migrant families, while facing criticism for mistreating migrant families.^[17]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: About 50% of those that are caught and released come back to appear for immigration hearings.^[5]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The phrase "super-predators" was uttered by Hillary Clinton, not Biden.^[5]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Besides Lincoln, LBJ did more for the Black community, signing monumental bills whose impact dwarfed that of any legislation signed by Trump.^[18]

: appeal to ignorance - suggesting that something is true simply because it hasn’t yet been proven false, or vice versa.
: Trump launches accusations without providing evidence, creating uncertainty and placing the burden on Biden to disprove the unverified claims.

: whataboutism - discrediting a criticism by accusing hypocrisy to shift the focus away from oneself and onto others.
: Trump shifts the focus from his own controversial rhetoric to a controversial isolated chant at a 2015 BLM protest—implying that such rhetoric justifies his own.^[19]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: The U.S. is not energy independent and continues to import millions of barrels of oil per day.^[9]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: Even taking manufacturing emissions for wind turbines into account, wind power is far cleaner than natural gas.^[20]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: On numerous occasions, Biden has said he opposed fracking in one form or another.^[21]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Biden does want to raise taxes, but ONLY on those making over $400,000 a year.^[5]

: virtue words - using emotionally appealing words that align with the target audience's value system to elicit approval or support.
: Words like "decency," "honor," "respect," and "dignity" project broad moral ideals but lack specificity, serving as emotional appeals rather than concrete positions.