Shortly after United States President Donald Trump announced on February 26 2020 that he was naming Vice President Mike Pence to lead his administration’s response to the issue of novel coronavirus COVID-19, critics on social media pointed out y
Publication: trump administration
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Advisor Pushes Coronavirus Disinformation: ‘We Have Contained This’
Despite warnings at the federal level regarding the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, both U.S. President Donald Trump and one of his chief economic advisors have tried to push disinformation in downplaying the threat. During
Truth or Fiction?→ Pro-Trump Nevada Ad Regurgitates Anti-Obama Immigration Disinformation
On February 21 2020 — just one day before the Nevada Democratic Party caucuses — a super PAC promoting United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign released a Spanish-language ad steeped in disinformation about immigra
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘God Bows Down to President Donald J. Trump’ Sign
A sign expressing a particularly outlandish message supporting United States President Donald Trump grabbed attention online in February 2020: A photograph of the sign — bearing the message “God bows down to President Donald J. Trump, dec
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
The sentencing of convicted felon Roger Stone was abruptly derailed on February 11 2020, when all four of his prosecutors resigned on the same day that United States President Donald Trump, freshly emboldened by his impeachment acquittal the week befo
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘After a Trump Rally in Wildwood, New Jersey’
On January 29 2020, the Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared the following set of images, which were purportedly taken after United States President Donald Trump held a re-election campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey: Text ov
Truth or Fiction?→ White House Impeachment Counsel Lies About GOP House Disruption
During the impeachment trial of United States President Donald Trump on January 21 2020, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone flagrantly pushed disinformation concerning an October 2019 meeting that House Republicans “stormed” for attention.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did One of Trump’s College Professors Call Him ‘the Dumbest Goddamn Student I Ever Had’?
An often-circulated quote from a University of Pennsylvania faculty member attacking United States President Donald Trump was posthumously spread second-hand. The purported remark attributed to Wharton School of Business professor William T. Kelley
Truth or Fiction?→ Alan Dershowitz’s Watergate Trial Gripe About ‘Blacks and Liberals’ Resurfaces Online
A November 1974 remark from attorney Alan Dershowitz found new visibility in January 2020 after it was highlighted by the chief of staff for Virginia state Sen. Dave Marsden, not long after the Trump administration announced that Dershowitz would be j
Truth or Fiction?→ Nancy Pelosi’s ‘Gold Pens’ Impeachment Controversy
On January 16 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gold pens on silver platters were the subject of a Facebook post shared by known disinformation peddler and sometimes grifter Brian Kolfage: Across a photograph of three trays of gold-ti
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump Says He ‘Saved Pre-Existing Conditions in Your Healthcare’
On January 13 2020, United States President Donald Trump tried to attack a Democratic Party presidential candidate for “false advertising” by repeating a lie of his own. In a tweet attacking former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake Fox News Twitter Smears Rep. Ilhan Omar
A short-lived Twitter account impersonating the right-wing Fox News network managed to draw attention to itself on January 5 2020 through the familiar tactic of a made-up smear against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The account, “
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Inflames Tensions After United States Kills Iranian Commander
Late in the evening of January 2 2020, the United States announced that it had targeted and killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in a major and dramatic escalation: Iran confirmed the death of one of its most active military fi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Blue Eyes Are Haram’ Disinformation
On January 1 2020, disinformation purveyors all across the internet suddenly pivoted in unison to pushing the same disinformation that has muddied English-speaking social media since at least 2015, down to the same claims, the same recycled stories, a
Truth or Fiction?→ Rudy Giuliani Criticized After Describing Himself as a ‘Former Attorney General’ on Facebook
In late December 2019, the Facebook page of former New York mayor turned “presidential attorney” Rudolph Giuliani was quickly edited after sharp-eyed readers quickly pointed out that it contained glaringly false claims about Giuliani’
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Trump Not Really Impeached?
United States President Donald Trump and his Republican Party allies could seize on an op-ed by a Harvard University law professor in order to change the definition of impeachment to suit his purposes. The House of Representatives voted on December 18
Truth or Fiction?→ Hoax ‘Toronto Impeachment Protest’ Photo
Amid a series of December 17 2019 demonstrations in the United States marking a vote on whether to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump, one Twitter user attempted to troll the protests by passing off a photograph of a different event. The user, ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate’ Facebook Share
A December 12 2019 article with the headline, “Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate” spread widely on social media — particularly Facebook — in the days after it appeared. It cla
Snopes→ Is the Trump Admin Ending Food Assistance for Nearly 700,000 People?
A rule change that hardens work requirements for those receiving federal food assistance is expected to go into effect in 2020.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Rep. Ilhan Omar ‘Recruited by a Foreign Government’?
On November 25 2019, the co-founder of a far-right group supporting United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter to misrepresent allegations against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Ryan Fournier, a leader of the group Students F
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Regurgitates ‘Crowdstrike’ Conspiracy Theory in Call to Fox News
United States President Donald Trump called into a Fox News program on November 22 2019, spending nearly an hour pushing an already-debunked conspiracy theory that was also refuted during the congressional impeachment inquiry against him. During his c
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Fox News Taken Off American Forces Network Radio?
A series of tweets in November 2019 pushed the claim that Fox News had been made unavailable for United States military service members. The claim came after the right-wing network’s treatment of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman following his testimon
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump Falsely Claims He Opened Apple Texas Facility During Visit
On November 20 2019, United States President Donald Trump followed up a visit to an Apple computer-making facility in Texas with a claim that was outright false. “Today I opened a major Apple Manufacturing plant in Texas that will bring high pay
Truth or Fiction?→ Are These Really Donald Trump’s Notes?
On November 20 2019, as United States’ ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony sent shockwaves through political and punditry circles, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a hasty press conference on his way to a flight to
Truth or Fiction?→ Ken Starr Statement on Impeachment Inquiry Spreads Without Full Context
Amid impeachment inquiry hearings on November 20 2019, a partial transcript from a Fox News telecast spread online and gave some readers and listeners the impression that one of the right-wing network’s analysts had concluded that United States
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Theorist Roger Stone Is Latest Trump Associate to be Convicted
Roger Stone — a longtime ally to both President Donald Trump and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — was convicted on November 15, 2019 on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress. The 67-year-old self-proclaimed “d
Truth or Fiction?→ Mitch McConnell: ‘Completely and Utterly Perplexed’ by Those Who Argue Perjury, Obstruction of Justice Aren’t High Crimes?
In November 2019, a screenshot from Reddit circulated on social media, quoting Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) as saying he was baffled by people who argued “perjury and obstruction of justice are not high crimes and misdemeanors” when r
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Donald Trump Fined $2 Million for Misappropriating Funds Donated for Veterans but Used for His Campaign?
In November 2019, a constellation of Facebook posts appeared, collectively making one claim: that United States President Donald Trump was fined $2 million after a judge ruled that funds he had raised were improperly diverted to finance his campaign.
Truth or Fiction?→ Congress ‘Rejects’ Social Security Increase: Facebook Users Regurgitate Bogus Claim
In a prime example of easily digestible disinformation finding ready distribution on Facebook, a citation-free, years-old claim ginning up outrage against lawmakers was resurrected as a text-based graphic in September 2019, and has been shared thousa
Truth or Fiction?→ Could Trump’s Florida Move Qualify Him for a Tax Exemption?
While the motives behind it are unclear, United States President Donald Trump’s decision to claim Florida as his place of residence could put him in line for a tax exemption it shares with a few other states. The president announced at the end
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Purest Form of Human Trafficking’
A disturbing October 2019 story out of Arizona’s Maricopa County prompted readers to ask us whether it was legitimate: An Arizona elected official ran a human smuggling scheme that promised pregnant women thousands of dollars to lure them fro
Truth or Fiction?→ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Grills Facebook Chief Executive Officer Over Fact-Checking, Political Ads
Democratic Party Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenged Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on his policy allowing disinformation to be run in political advertisements on the social media platform during the tech magnate’s testimo
Truth or Fiction?→ What Is a SCIF and Why Does It Matter?
On October 23 2019, the term “SCIF” trended abruptly on Twitter with chatter about the purported actions of some House Republicans as they disrupted testimony about the United States reportedly withholding financial aid to Ukraine: A prote
Truth or Fiction?→ Italy’s President Mozzarella, Allies Back to Ancient Rome?
United States President Donald Trump hosted Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the White House on October 16 2019, leading to viral claims Trump misstated Mattarella’s name as “mozzarella” before embarrassingly describing a frie
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Send a Letter Telling Erdogan, ‘Don’t Be a Fool’?
As criticism continued to swirl around President Donald Trump for his Middle East policy, a Fox Business Channel host produced a letter from him on to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey seeking “a good deal.” A photogr
Truth or Fiction?→ Officials Say United States Not Vacating Syria, Contradicting Trump: Reports
Amid reports that Turkish forces had begun mounting an attack on Syria, two separate news outlets reported that United States officials had contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that American troops would be vacating the Syria-T
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook on Allowing Political Ads with Disinformation: ‘A Benefit to See What Politicians Are Saying’
Just one day after a report highlighting an ad for United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign based on a claim that Facebook’s own fact-checking partners had already debunked, the social media platform is claiming that al
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘When We See Cancer in Pork, We Just Cut It Out And Still Sell It To Customers’ Claim
A February 2018 post (“An Experienced Butcher Admits: “When We See Cancer In The Pork, We Just Cut It And Still Sell It To Customers””) circulated widely on Facebook in October 2019, inspiring a fresh round of users vowing to never aga
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ulysses S. Grant Say a Second Civil War Could be Waged Over Intelligence Vs. Superstition?
On September 30 2019, pundit Malcolm Nance shared the following quote meme to Facebook, purportedly involving remarks made by former United States President Ulysses S. Grant on the prospect of a second Civil War: One day prior, U.S. Presiden
Truth or Fiction?→ Would Trump Get to ‘Run Two More Times’ If He Is Not Impeached?
While he himself debunked the claim within hours, several readers contacted us asking if a scenario posted by disinformation purveyor and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec on October 1, 2019 was plausible. “These Democrats don’t realize th