AP FACT CHECK: Claims From Pence And Harris VP Debate

WASHINGTON: Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris tussled Wednesday in the first and only vice presidential debate before the Nov. 3 election, coming as the coronavirus sidelined President Donald Trump at the White House.

A look at how the running mates’ statements from Salt Lake City stack up with the facts:

PENCE: He suspended all travel from China, the second-largest economy in the world. Joe Biden opposed that decision, he said it was xenophobic and hysterical.

THE FACTS: Trumps order did not suspend all travel from China.” He restricted it, and Biden never branded the decision xenophobic. Dozens of countries took similar steps to control travel from hot spots before or around the same time the U.S. did.

The U.S. restrictions that took effect Feb. 2 continued to allow travel to the U.S. from Chinas Hong Kong and Macao territories for months. The Associated Press reported that more than 8,000 Chinese and foreign nationals based in those territories entered the U.S. in the first three months after the travel restrictions were imposed.

Additionally, more than 27,000 Americans returned from mainland China in the first month after the restrictions took effect. U.S. officials lost track of more than 1,600 of them who were supposed to be monitored for virus exposure.

Biden has accused Trump of having a record of xenophobia but not explicitly in the context of the presidents decision to limit travel from China during the pandemic. Trump took to calling the virus the China virus and the foreign virus at one point, prompting Biden to urge the country not to take a turn toward xenophobia or racism in the pandemic.

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HARRIS, on the effects of the pandemic: One in five businesses, closed.

THE FACTS: Thats not accurate, as of now. We dont know yet how many businesses have permanently closed or could do so in the months ahead.

What we do know is that the National Federation of Independent Business said in August that 1 in 5 small businesses will close if economic conditions dont improve in the next six months.

Many small businesses survived in part through the forgivable loans from the Payroll Protection Program. Larger employers such as Disney and Allstate insurance have announced layoffs, as have major airlines. Restaurants that survived the pandemic with outdoor eating will soon face the challenge of cold weather. So its too soon to tell how many businesses have closed or will.

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Colleen Long and Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.

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EDITOR’S NOTE A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.

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