President Joe Biden’s performance during last week’s debate was decried by Democrats as a blight on his reputation, with one narrative emerging: that Trump repeatedly lied, while Biden merely had a bad night. However, this dichotomy is flawed, as Biden himself is prone to dishonesty, as evidenced by his long history of inaccurate statements.
Before addressing Biden’s fabrications, it’s essential to note Trump’s most egregious falsehoods, including his claim of delivering the biggest tax cut in American history, when in reality, President Ronald Reagan still holds that distinction. Trump also wrongly accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi of declining National Guard protection before the January 6th insurrection, when in fact, it was the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms who declined.
Now, consider Biden’s questionable statements. He claimed to be the “only president this century without troops dying anywhere in the world,” which conveniently glossed over the 13 American servicemen and women who died during his hasty and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Additionally, Biden overlooked the three service members killed in Jordan in January.
Biden’s remarks about illegal immigration were equally dubious, with him stating that there are “40% fewer people coming across the border illegally” compared to when he left office. However, this assertion disregarded the fact that border crossings under his administration have seen an uptick from the record high in December, and that millions of illegal immigrants have been apprehended and released into the country, exceeding Trump’s numbers.
Furthermore, Biden incorrectly claimed endorsement from the Border Patrol union, a claim the union swiftly disputed on social media. Biden’s stance on Roe v. Wade, stating that “the vast majority of constitutional scholars supported it,” is also open to question, given his own prior remarks criticizing the landmark Supreme Court decision.
Biden’s unemployment figures and claims about the state of the economy during his tenure are also misleading. He contended that unemployment was 15% when he took office, when in reality, the economy was rapidly recovering under Trump, with an unemployment rate of 6.4% and monthly job growth of 1.4 million. Under Biden, job growth has slowed to 400,000 jobs per month.
Beyond these specific falsehoods, Biden’s debate performance serves as yet another example of his long history of dishonesty, dating back to his first failed presidential campaign in 1988 after being exposed for plagiarizing a campaign speech. His campaign saw him falsely claim to be the first in his family to attend college and misrepresent his academic achievements. Today, he continues to perpetuate falsehoods, including his assertion that he remains mentally competent to serve as president at 86 years old.
There are many contrasts between Biden and Trump, but honesty is certainly not one of them.
