Analyzing Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech at the DNC

Kamala Harris spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to formally accept the party’s nomination for president. We fact checked her claims. Here’s what we found.Claim: “Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails, and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had himself.”Get the Facts: The statement suggests that Donald Trump would have unchecked power if re-elected, particularly emphasizing that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that he would be “immune from criminal prosecution.” This interpretation requires a careful fact-check against the actual Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States (July 1, 2024).In regards to immunity from criminal prosecution, the court actually ruled that Trump, as former President, has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that fall within his “conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority,” which are core constitutional powers exclusive to the Presidency. The court also stated, though, that Trump would have presumptive immunity for other, less defined, official acts, which could be challenged in court if the government can show that prosecuting these acts does not interfere with the functioning of the Executive Branch.Finally, the court ruled that there is no immunity for unofficial acts, or acts outside the scope of presidential duties. Any crime committed through these acts could be prosecuted.Harris claims the Supreme Court has removed all constraints on Trump’s actions if he were re-elected, but if that were true, all guard rails would also be removed if Harris were elected. The reality is that the ruling does not provide any president with absolutely immunity for all actions. Rating: MisleadingClaim: We are not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare. Get the Facts: Harris and Democrats all week have claimed Trump wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. We rate that as mostly false. On the campaign trail, Trump has vowed to “not cut one penny” from Social Security and Medicare. As president, he did propose cutting back some parts of social security, but not others. While he supported bipartisan efforts to reduce medicare growth, those benefits would have been untouched. Rating: MisleadingClaim: “Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes when he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers.”Fact-Check: This statement refers to the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Donald Trump did make claims of widespread voter fraud and attempted various legal challenges to overturn the election results, none of which succeeded. On January 6, 2021, Trump held a rally where he encouraged his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” make their voices heard but also used language like “fight like hell.” The crowd subsequently marched to the Capitol, where some individuals violently attacked law enforcement officers and breached the Capitol building.While Trump did not directly send the mob, his rhetoric and actions have been widely criticized as contributing to the violence that occurred. Multiple investigations, including by the House Select Committee on the January 6th Attack, have scrutinized Trump’s role in the events.Rating: Needs contextClaim: “For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse.”Fact-Check: Donald Trump has faced several legal challenges post-presidency. In May 2023, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. This was a civil case, not a criminal one, so Trump was not found “guilty” in the criminal sense, but he was held liable by a jury.Our Fact Check partners at factcheck.org offer this Q&A on Trump’s conviction for 34 counts of fraud: Donald Trump became the first U.S. president, current or former, to be convicted of a criminal offense when a 12-person jury in New York on May 30 found him guilty on 34 felony counts of business fraud as part of an illegal scheme to influence the 2016 election by making payments to suppress a sordid tale of sex with a porn star.Click here to read the entire Q&ARating: TrueClaim: “Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol.”Fact-Check: Donald Trump has suggested that he might pardon individuals convicted in connection with the January 6th attack on the Capitol if he were to be re-elected. This includes people who have been convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers. Trump has stated that he believes these individuals were treated unfairly, which has led to concerns that he might issue pardons for those involved in the January 6th insurrection.Rating: TrueClaim: “His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy.”Fact-Check: This claim is based on statements Trump has made about pursuing investigations or legal actions against political opponents and media figures. For example, during his presidency and afterward, Trump has often expressed hostility toward journalists and political opponents, sometimes suggesting that they should be investigated or prosecuted. However, while Trump has made concerning statements about using the legal system against his adversaries, there has not been explicit, detailed policy proposals to jail journalists and political opponents.Rating: MisleadingClaim: “His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens.”Fact-Check: This likely refers to Trump’s consideration of invoking the Insurrection Act during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 to deploy the military in U.S. cities. While Trump did not ultimately invoke the Insurrection Act, his administration did use federal forces, including from the National Guard and other federal agencies, in response to the protests.Rating: Needs ContextThis is a live fact check and more will be added as we fact check various claims.