During tonight’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump made the bold claim that Democrats support abortion after birth.
The allegation earned him the first real-time fact check from moderator Linsey Davis.
A few minutes into the debate, Davis asked Trump about reproductive rights. During his response, Trump claimed that he supports the right to get an abortion in cases of incest, rape, or when the mother’s life is at risk.
Then he alleged that Democrats support abortion until the ninth month of pregnancy or even post-birth. This is a common talking point among conservatives in the abortion debate, which has heated up since Roe v. Wade fell and is a key issue in the upcoming election.
Davis quickly fact-checked Trump’s claim.
“There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born,” Davis said.
The moment caught fire online. Many praised Davis for calling him out.
“Shout out to #Debate2024 moderator @LinseyDavis for correcting Trump’s nonsense about 9 month abortions, which are not a thing,” @AlexPolombo wrote on X.
Former Democratic senate candidate Amy McGrath opined, “The fact that some Americans believe this is just sad.”
Many piled on to say, no, in fact, post-birth abortion is illegal and could be charged as murder.
“Abortion after birth is called a school shooting,” quipped @acnewsitics.
Minutes later, Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in on the issue.
“Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion. That is not happening. It is insulting to the women of America,” Harris said.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
