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Fact-checking Joe Biden’s comparison of violent crime and murders data

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Detroit Free Press, September 2020

Joe Biden told voters that President Donald Trump doesn’t have his facts straight when it comes to public safety, despite Trump’s attempts to cast himself as a law-and-order candidate and Biden as the symbol of chaos. 

“If Donald Trump wants to ask the question: Who will keep you safer as president? Let’s answer that question. First, some simple facts,” Biden said in Pittsburgh on Aug. 31. “When I was vice president, violent crime fell 15% in this country. We did it without chaos and disorder. And yes, we did it with Democratic mayors in most of the major cities in this country. The murder rate now is up 26% across the nation this year under Donald Trump. Do you feel really safer under Donald Trump?”

PolitiFact decided to fact-check Biden’s “simple facts.” We found that his claim is partly accurate and needs context. 

Continue reading at Detroit Free Press.

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