Verifying the claims made during the second night of the Democratic National Convention

On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, there were only a few instances of false or misleading claims. Most speakers stuck to factual statements, personal anecdotes, subjective opinions, or predictions that cannot be fact-checked.

Below is a review of one false claim, one misleading claim, and one that omitted important context. Additionally, we provide context regarding Project 2025, a conservative initiative that was frequently mentioned by convention speakers.

**Democrats on Trump and Project 2025**

Multiple speakers at the Democratic National Convention mentioned Project 2025, often implying it was closely tied to former President Donald Trump’s agenda. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta referred to it as "Trump’s Project 2025," while Sen. Gary Peters spoke of the "Project 2025 agenda" in the context of Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.

**What Project 2025 Is**: Spearheaded by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, Project 2025 is a collaboration of numerous conservative organizations. Launched in 2022, the initiative produced a comprehensive 920-page document titled *“Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.”* This document offers hundreds of policy recommendations across various areas, such as immigration, health care, and education, and proposes significant changes to the executive branch to expand presidential power.

**Trump’s Links to the Initiative**: Although Project 2025 claims no official affiliation with Trump, the former president has extensive connections to it. Many contributors to the initiative, including six former Cabinet secretaries, worked in Trump’s administration. However, Trump has distanced himself from the project, saying he knows "nothing about Project 2025" and labeling some of its proposals as "ridiculous." Despite this, the project aligns with many of Trump’s policy priorities, such as cracking down on immigration and reshaping the federal bureaucracy.

**Sanders on Unemployment During the Pandemic**

Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted the challenges the Biden-Harris administration faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating, "Unemployment was soaring" when they took office.

**Facts First**: This claim is inaccurate. While unemployment spiked in April 2020, it had significantly improved by the time Biden took office in January 2021. The unemployment rate, which hit 14.8% in April 2020, had fallen to 6.4% by January 2021 as millions of Americans regained employment.

**Pritzker’s Misleading Claim About Trump’s COVID-19 Comments**

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker repeated a claim that Trump told Americans to "inject bleach" during the pandemic.

**Facts First**: This is misleading. Trump did not explicitly advise people to inject bleach. Instead, he speculated about the possibility of using disinfectants inside the body to treat COVID-19 during a press briefing. Medical experts quickly condemned his remarks, but they were never presented as a direct recommendation to the public.

**Sanders on the Child Tax Credit**

Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed that the expanded child tax credit under Biden cut childhood poverty by over 40%.

**Facts First**: While the expanded child tax credit did reduce child poverty by 46% in 2021, this effect was short-lived. The benefit only lasted for one year, and in 2022, child poverty surged back to pre-pandemic levels.