During a campaign rally, President Donald Trump said that once he came down with COVID-19, people for partisan reasons shifted from saying immunity was lifelong to saying it lasted only a few months. Experts, however, haven’t changed their estimates
Publication: 2020 election
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Claims About Biden Wealth, Recovery Wishes
At a rally in North Carolina, President Donald Trump claimed Joe Biden lives in “beautiful houses all over the place” and must be “corrupt” to afford such a lifestyle. Biden owns two homes and had some lucrative years in the pri
Snopes→ Did CDC Report ‘Majority’ of People Who Contracted COVID-19 Wore Masks?
U.S. President Donald Trump amplified misunderstanding when he claimed on live television that “85% of the people that wear masks catch [COVID-19].”
Snopes→ Did Trump Fail To Denounce QAnon Conspiracy Theories?
During a televised town hall ahead of Election Day, Trump tried to sidestep his past, tentative embrace of the conspiracy theorist movement.
Snopes→ Did Biden Teach Constitutional Law for 21 Years?
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden graduated from Syracuse University's law school in 1968.
FactCheck.org→ Deceptive Trump Ad Attacks Biden on Guns
A Trump campaign ad uses an out-of-context video clip to claim Joe Biden confirmed he will come for the guns of Americans if he’s elected president. In the unedited video, Biden was talking about his opposition to so-called “assault weapons
Snopes→ Twitter Changes Hacked Content Rules After Biden Story Furor
“We want to address the concerns that there could be many unintended consequences to journalists, whistleblowers and others in ways that are contrary to Twitter’s purpose of serving the public conversation,” said Vijaya Gadde, the company’s hea
Poynter→ With no TV debates to assess, fact-checkers flagged online falsehoods about sexual abuse and alcohol
Lee en español There were no presidential debates this week, but that doesn’t mean that FactChat‘s members didn’t have plenty of material to work with. Manipulated videos and misleading claims continue to flood social networks, as we
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Town Hall
In an Oct. 15 town hall on NBC News, President Donald Trump made false and misleading claims on the coronavirus, the economy and more: Trump was wrong when he said a recent study found “85% of the people who wear masks catch” the coronavirus. The
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Biden’s Town Hall
At a televised town hall in Philadelphia, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made false and misleading claims on COVID-19, health insurance, the 1994 crime bill and more: Biden falsely claimed all members of a Centers for Disease Control and Pr
Snopes→ Is Biden Proposing ‘Biggest’ Tax Increase in US History?
The Trump campaign repeatedly made the claim to try to convince average Americans they would pay more in taxes under Biden.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘For the First Time Ever in U.S. History, a Sitting President Seeking Re-Election Will Not Receive Any Previous President’s Endorsement’
In the days before the 2020 U.S. presidential election, myriad posts and tweets made some version of the following statement: For the first time ever in U.S. history, a sitting President seeking re-election will not receive any previous President’s
FactCheck.org→ Conspiracy Theory Baselessly Claims Biden Had Navy SEALs Killed
Quick Take A viral conspiracy theory spread across social media baselessly claims former Vice President Joe Biden “had SEAL Team 6 killed” as part of a cover-up after a purportedly failed assassination of Osama bin Laden. President Donald T
FactCheck.org→ Trump Revives False Narrative on Biden and Ukraine
At a campaign rally in Iowa, President Donald Trump cited an unsubstantiated news report to revive a widely debunked false narrative about Joe Biden’s work in Ukraine on behalf of the Obama administration. As we have reported more than once las
Snopes→ Did Trump Share ‘Biden for Resident’ Meme?
U.S. President Donald Trump, 74, mocked his Democratic rival Joe Biden, 77, for being old.
Snopes→ Harris Suspends Travel After Staffer Tests COVID-19 Positive
Harris was scheduled to travel to North Carolina for events encouraging voters to cast early ballots.
Poynter→ Without methodology or transparency, Facebook and Twitter become the ‘arbiters of the truth’
It seems like Facebook and Twitter have decided to assume the position they’ve been avoiding for so long. Less than a month from Election Day, both companies finally became arbiters of the truth on the internet. Naive are those who believe this i
Snopes→ Did the Taliban Endorse Trump While Scientific Community Endorsed Biden?
A popular tweet used a shaky comparison to differentiate the U.S. presidential candidates in 2020.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Exaggerated Claims on Biden and Pharma in Puerto Rico
At a rally in Sanford, Florida, President Donald Trump made the exaggerated claim that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, “voted to obliterate” Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. And during a health care speech in Char
FactCheck.org→ Trump Distorts WHO’s Lockdown Comments
At campaign rallies and in tweets, President Donald Trump falsely said the World Health Organization changed its position and “admitted that Donald Trump was right” about lockdowns. But the agency has said no such thing. The president first made th
FactCheck.org→ Meme Spreads Misinformation on Presidential Endorsements
Quick Take A widely shared meme misrepresents Joe Biden’s endorsements. Biden hasn’t been endorsed by antifa or the Black Lives Matter organization, though BLM co-founders support him. And while President Donald Trump has been endorsed by the major
FactCheck.org→ Posts Misrepresent Photo of Biden Kneeling at Campaign Event
Quick Take Former Vice President Joe Biden knelt for a photo with a group of dancers in Miami, but the national anthem was not playing, as social media posts falsely claim. Full Story Kneeling during the national anthem became controversial four years
Snopes→ After Independent Coronavirus Test, NBC Sets Trump Town Hall
The announcement sets up dueling events with Democratic opponent Joe Biden, who will appear in a town hall on ABC, on a night the two candidates were supposed to meet for their second debate.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Say Amy Coney Barrett is ‘Much Better Looking’ Than Other Supreme Court Justices?
As the United States Senate proceeded with the Supreme Court confirmation process for Judge Amy Coney Barrett on October 13 2020, a fabricated quote recirculated on Facebook repackaged as a graphic. Within hours of being posted, the meme had amassed m
Snopes→ Did US Unemployment Reach Record Low Due to Trump?
The Trump campaign alleged pre-COVID-19 unemployment rates were evidence that he could jumpstart the pandemic-stricken economy.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Law and Order Distortions
President Donald Trump made false and misleading statements in an attempt to contrast his stance on law enforcement with that of Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent in the presidential race: The president claimed in an Oct. 10 campaign rally at the Whi
Snopes→ Did Trump Say He Nominated Amy Coney Barrett Because of Her Looks?
"I think Amy is much, much better looking than the women we have had," Trump supposedly said of his Supreme Court nominee.
FactCheck.org→ Posts Falsely Attribute Comments on Churches to Harris
Quick Take There is no record of Sen. Kamala Harris ever calling churches “PROPAGANDA CENTERS for intolerant homophobic, xenophobic vitriol,” as viral posts on Facebook falsely claim. Full Story Popular posts on Facebook are attributing
Snopes→ Can Poll Workers Invalidate Ballots by Writing on Them?
A baseless claim went viral on social media, stirring up unwarranted fears about voter fraud.
Snopes→ Cut Cable Shuts Down Virginia’s Online Voter Registration
The Virginia Department of Elections said in statement on Twitter that a “fiber cut” was affecting connectivity for multiple agencies, including the citizen portal and registrar's offices, and technicians were working to repair the problem.
Truth or Fiction?→ Virginia Voter Registration Disrupted on Deadline Day Due to ‘Accidentally’ Cut Cable
“Accidentally” appeared as a trending topic on Twitter on October 13 2020, not long after Washington, DC-area news station @WUSA9 tweeted that the state’s entire voter registration system went offline — on the last day to regis
Snopes→ California Orders GOP to Remove Unofficial Ballot Boxes
The party declined to say precisely how many boxes have been distributed and where they all have been placed.
Snopes→ Did Fauci Praise Trump’s Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic?
Dr. Anthony Fauci said his comments in a campaign ad for President Trump were taken out of context.
FactCheck.org→ Video Shows Arrest at a Protest, Not a Church Service
Quick Take A tweet, shared by President Donald Trump, mischaracterizes a video that purports to show “Americans being ARRESTED for holding outdoor church services.” The video actually shows a demonstration in Idaho against a public health o
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Claim That Michigan Is ‘Closed’
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the state of Michigan is “closed,” specifically and falsely mentioning churches and schools. In fact, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat
FactCheck.org→ Trump Ad Lifts Fauci Praise Out of Context
A Trump campaign ad uses a clip of Dr. Anthony Fauci praising federal public health officials — saying that he “can’t imagine that … anybody could be doing more” — and makes it seem like Fauci was personally complime
Snopes→ Did Trump Add 11.6M Jobs to U.S. Economy During Pandemic?
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made the claim during a debate with Democratic rival U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris.
Snopes→ Did Kamala Harris Call American Churches ‘Propaganda Centers’?
Unsourced Facebook posts are not known for providing accurate information.
Snopes→ Did Biden Kneel in Protest During the National Anthem?
Critics claimed a viral photograph showed the former vice president "taking a knee" at an October campaign stop in Miami.
Poynter→ Telemundo and Univision’s fact-check teams grow after FactChat launch
Lee en Español o escucha nuestro podcat en Español: IFCN · Crecen equipos de verificación de Univision y Telemundo, tras lanzamiento del FactChat The amount of content to fact-check during the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign is so considerable that