As news spread of a rash of coronavirus infections hitting United States President Donald Trump as well as his wife and other Republican allies, online users raised their own questions in October 2020 about the health of Trump’s attorney Rudy Gi
Publication: trump administration
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Use His COVID-19 Diagnosis in a Fundraising Message?
As speculation circulated online following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement late on October 1 2020 (or early on October 2 2020, depending on your time zone) that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for CO
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Use His COVID-19 Diagnosis in a Fundraising Message?
As speculation circulated online following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement late on October 1 2020 (or early on October 2 2020, depending on your time zone) that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for CO
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter User Tweet That Trump’s October Surprise Will be the Announcement of ‘His Infection’?
Just after midnight Eastern time on October 2 2020, news broke that United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for novel coronavirus; a screenshot of a September 18 2020 tweet began circulating shortly thereafter
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter User Tweet That Trump’s October Surprise Will be the Announcement of ‘His Infection’?
Just after midnight Eastern time on October 2 2020, news broke that United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for novel coronavirus; a screenshot of a September 18 2020 tweet began circulating shortly thereafter
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Potential U.S. Supreme Court Candidate Belong to a Group That Inspired ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’?
News of United States Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death was barely a day old before national figures started to discuss her replacement, despite the opposition of those very same figures to doing so in 2016, after Antonin Scalia
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden Receive Five Deferments During the Vietnam War?
Contrary to what critics claim, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s non-combatant status during the Vietnam War was not underreported prior to his 2020 campaign. Regardless, one Facebook user amassed more than 189,000 shares by claiming,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Josie Huang Identify Herself as Press While Being Arrested?
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s latest attempt to justify the violent arrest of a journalist was clearly exposed as false by video footage of the attack posted by the reporter and other news outlets. Huang, a reporter for KPC
Truth or Fiction?→ Did NFL Fans Boo During a ‘Moment of Unity’?
The opening game of the National Football League’s 2020 campaign drew attention online beyond the boxscore on September 10 2020, as footage spread of fans booing during what the league had hoped would be soothe tensions between players and fans.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the USPS Order the Removal of 671 Mail-Sorting Machines?
As criticism continued to surround Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s tenure atop the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), a meme circulating online highlighted the removal of mail sorting machines in several states. The graphic, first posted on California
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Do Know that Eliminating the Payroll Tax Defunds Social Security, Don’t You?’
As a payroll tax deferral ordered by United States President Donald Trump took effect, a Facebook user’s warning went viral: The post states, “Hey folks. ‘You Do Know that Eliminating the Payroll Tax Defunds Social Security, Don’t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Plan to Lead Another Non-Violent March Tomorrow’
A political cartoon depicting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recirculated online in August 2020, as users pointed out the parallels between how his efforts for Black liberation were viewed during his life and skepticism around the Black Lives Mat
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Forums Amplify Russian Troll Site’s ‘Laundry List’ of Arrested Politicians
A lengthy “copypasta” disinformation post with content dating back to at least 2015 was recirculated online in conspiracy theory forums and Facebook in August and September 2020 — amplified by a Russian website. NBC News reporter Ben
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Autopsy Reveal That Joseph Rosenbaum Was Shot in the Back Multiple Times?
On August 28 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post about 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with shooting and killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin: It read: BREAKING: Autopsy reveals that Kyle Rittenhouse’s first victim was s
Truth or Fiction?→ Was ‘a Mob’ Trying to Break into the Mayor of Kenosha’s Home?
The mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin rebuffed a lie from United States President Donald Trump on September 1 2020 — after Trump called him “foolish” prior to visiting the city against the wishes of both local and state leadership. The pre
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 94 Percent of COVID-19 Deaths Caused by ‘Underlying Conditions’?
A false interpretation of new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spread online in late August 2020, buoyed by both social media and various local television news outlets. The result was a slew of posts and stories pushing t
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Have Your Mail-In Ballot Delivered as First Class Mail?
As social media users expressed alarm over United States President Donald Trump’s administration’s apparent efforts to sabotage the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), one Twitter user’s suggestion caught traction on August 14 2020. That acc
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden ‘Take a Knee’ Near His Childhood Home?
Despite being thoroughly debunked, a series of posts pushing a fake claim about former Vice President Joe Biden remained available online even as new reports shed light on Facebook’s unwillingness to stop far-right disinformation. In early July
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If You Elect Joe Biden, There Will Be No Hand Sanitizer; I Have Spoken to the Hand Sanitizer People…’
On August 4 2020, the Facebook page “Being Liberal” shared a screenshot of a tweet purportedly quoting United States President Donald Trump on hand sanitizer and a potential Joe Biden administration: Donald Trump today: "If you ele
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Postal Service Urge Mail-In Voters to Request Envelopes by October 20th?
Amid increasing concern over the United States Postal Service’s efficiency leading up to the 2020 U.S. elections, a CBS News host’s tweet warned voters seeking to take part by mail. “USPS says you should give mail in ballots at least
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Reporter Call Kayleigh McEnany a ‘Lying Bitch’?
An exchange between White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and a reporter for Al-Jazeera led to allegations that the reporter muttered an epithet. Right-wing social media users accused reporter Kimberly Halkett of calling McEnany a “lying
Truth or Fiction?→ Death of ‘Men’s Rights’ Attorney Stokes New Conspiracy Theories
The death of a 72-year-old “anti-feminist” attorney suspected of carrying out a fatal attack against a federal judge and her family has spawned new online speculation. Roy Den Hollander was found dead in upstate New York less than 24 hours
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Betsy DeVos Say ‘Only .02 Percent’ of Students Would Die if Schools Reopened?
On July 11 2020, the following tweet claimed that the United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos — in the course of arguing in favor of reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic — asserted that “only 0.02 percent” of
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘BLM Convoys’ Threatening to ‘Occupy Atlanta’?
Conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi reached out for attention from United States President Donald Trump on July 7 2020, all the while regurgitating a long-debunked right-wing internet boogeyman to smear the Black Lives Matter movement. Corsi took to his
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Post a Symbol Used by Nazis to Mark Political Prisoners?
In June 2020, United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign was criticized for invoking Nazi imagery in a new series of Facebook ads that the campaign later tried to claim featured an anti-fascist symbol. According to Media Matters
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Saint Paul Police Officer Caught Vandalizing Property at a George Floyd Protest?
Amid the social unrest permeating the Minnesota Twin Cities area following the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd in May 2020, Twitter users claimed to have identified a man spotted vandalizing a local auto parts store as a local police officer
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan Send Absentee Ballots to 7.7 Million People?
On May 20 2020, United States President Donald Trump attempted to smear the Michigan secretary of state’s office in a tweet regurgitating one of his most thoroughly debunked claims. “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ah
Truth or Fiction?→ Researcher Behind Retracted Paper Launches Anti-Fauci Campaign
The researcher-turned-anti-vaccine activist whose work was publicly redacted by a leading journal resurfaced in May 2020 to attack National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci and accuse him of spreading disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Was ‘Proud Boy’ Rob Cantrell Photographed at a Right-Wing Protest in Michigan?
The photograph that came to symbolize the hypocrisy present in an anti-government protest in Michigan on April 30 2020 became the center of an unfounded allegation concerning its origins. The image, showing an unidentified man yelling at a group of po
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Man in California Spotted Shopping While Wearing a Ku Klux Klan Hood?
Social media users and officials in a small southern California city condemned photographs spreading online showing an unidentified man shopping in public while wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood as a “face mask” during the first weeks of the COV
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Right-Wing COVID-19 Protester Carry a Sign Displaying a Nazi Slogan?
Several photographs emerged online on May 1 2020 purportedly showing right-wing protesters — and in one case a child — displaying a Nazi slogan. But at least one of the images was manipulated digitally. As the Associated Press reported, a
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Four Networks ‘Set to Announce They Will No Longer Televise Trump’s Announcements’?
Those perhaps seeking relief from live coverage of United States President Donald Trump’s daily briefings on COVID-19 shared a Texas man’s unverified claim that some major news outlets would stop carrying them in late April 2020. “CN
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Is Mark Grenon?
The Florida merchant claiming credit for United States President Donald Trump’s remarks concerning the use of disinfectants as a “cure” for COVID-19 has a history of pushing other conspiracy theories despite legal and journalistic in
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Ask About Using Disinfectant Injections to Treat COVID-19?
While social media users might not believe it, it is true that United States President Donald Trump asked during a briefing about the possibility of injecting disinfectants into a human body to treat COVID-19 on April 23 2020. The president’s ou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘At $50 a Test It Wasn’t Enough … at $100 It Is’
A quote from the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator about its response to the COVID-19 pandemic has begun circulating online among social media users criticizing it for its implications regarding for-profit healthcare. The quote has been use
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a ‘March to End COVID-19’ in Cleveland?
A social media user playing on real-world ignorance over the COVID-19 pandemic succeeded in making a stir on March 26 2020 with a photograph he claimed at the time was an ill-advised gathering. The user’s post, which has been shared more than 6,
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Canadian Government Giving Citizens $2,000 a Month Because of COVID-19?
On March 25 2020, social media users quickly drew comparisons between the help Canadian citizens are receiving from their government and a bill passed in the U.S. Senate. On Twitter, the comparison was spread most heavily in a tweet shared more than 1
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Timeline of Trump’s COVID-19 Statements’ Meme
As criticism spread against United States President Donald Trump’s administration for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, one graphic disseminated on social media listed his multiple attempts to downplay the disease: In thi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘4 GOP Senators’ Self-Quarantine After Voting Against the Coronavirus Relief Bill?
In mid-March 2020, as Republican lawmakers faced criticism online over a bill that would provide sick pay to some American workers, a graphic spreading on Facebook spread disinformation about both the bill’s progress and the way the vote broke d
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Will Evoke What Is Called the Stafford Act’ Viral Post
Amid growing concerns over the spread of novel coronavirus strain COVID-19 in mid-March 2020 and lack of information from the United States government, corrosive and weaponized disinformation thrived in the form of chain emails, Facebook posts, and te