False Claims And Outrageous Accusations Dominate Second Presidential Debate‌

Forget about raining cats and dogs. During the second presidential debate, Donald Trump falsely claimed that immigrants in Ohio are instead eating them.

And feasting on residents’ pets wasn’t the only outrageous claim to come from the debate. Post-birth baby executions and “transgender operations on illegal aliens” were also topics of discussion.

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump stood face-to-face for the first time ever and took the stage for the second presidential debate this election season.

Following the debate, Talker Research polled 1,000 American viewers, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats and with a subset of Independents, Libertarians, or Green Party members, and looked to uncover the weirdest claims to come out of the debate.

According to the results, Haitian immigrants eating the pets of Springfield, Ohio residents ranked at the top of the list (27%). According to the Springfield Police Division, there have not been any reports related to pets being stolen and/or eaten. Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance had been circulating this rumor on X (formerly Twitter)  just days before the debate.

In second place comes the claim that American women are seeking abortions “in the ninth month” of pregnancy and are having “post-birth abortions” (23%). ABC moderators were quick to cite that there are laws in place that do not allow abortion to extend after birth. 

Third was the claim that all Americans, specifically “every legal scholar, every Democrat, every Republican, every liberal, conservative,” were in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade and supporting a national abortion ban (14%). 

While Harris was clear and firm in her stance that women’s healthcare access and control over their own bodies is imperative, Trump continued to avoid a direct stance on the issue.

When asked about any other outrageous claims, Americans highlighted Harris’ “constant lying about fracking” or Trump’s comment that there would be a “bloodbath” if he loses November’s election.

The economy, reproductive rights, voter security, the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and more were formal topics of discussion, though despite their best efforts, ABC’s moderators struggled to keep control. 

Balancing the positive with the negative has proven to be a challenge throughout the election season, with so much up in the air. Still, more than two-thirds of Americans (77%) say that candidates’ overall positive attitude impacts their vote. Baby boomers (46%) are more likely to consider positivity a major contributor to their decision-making than millennials (42%).

The top 5 unfounded claims from the second presidential debate are cause for concern. According to recent data, 27% of people believe that there are claims stating that eating cats and dogs is an issue. Additionally, 23% of people think that there are claims stating that there is a possibility for baby execution after nine months. Furthermore, 14% of people believe that there are claims regarding a national abortion ban. It’s also troubling that 8% of people believe there are claims regarding transgender “illegal alien” operations, and 7% of people believe that there are claims stating that people are being paid to attend rallies.

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey, which have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted; quotas and other parameters are implemented to reach the desired sample.

Produced in association with SWNS Research