Skip to content
Apply
Stories

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

People in this story

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.

More Stories

‘Widow’s Bay’ shows why New England is the ‘creepy attic of America,’ experts say

07.09.2026
ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 6: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attends a pre-summit press conference ahead of the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkiye on July 6, 2026. (Photo by Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Would the US defend Europe from a Russian attack? Leaders meet at NATO Summit

07.07.2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrates with Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier during an election night watch party Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

From Colorado to New York: Is democratic socialism on the rise?

07.09.26
Northeastern Global News