&Quot;Jesus Christ&Quot;

Do real photos show an Israel Defense Forces soldier repairing and revering the same crucifixion statue he vandalized? No, that's not true: Two images -- one showing a soldier washing the statue and another showing a soldier kneeling at the base of the cross -- are AI-generated. The photos were identified by Google Gemini as having a SynthID watermark. The…

Did President Donald Trump post a depiction of himself as a Christ-like healer on Truth Social on April 12, 2026? Yes, that's true: While fake Trump posts are often widely shared on social platforms and can quickly go viral, Lead Stories reviewed this instance and confirmed that Trump posted it. The content appeared on his verified Truth Social account. It…

Did a U.S. military commander tell troops that President Trump was "anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon"? Here's what we know so far: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) said on its website that it has received hundreds of similar complaints. Asked to provide the original email or identifying information, the organization declined,…

Did Kristi Noem say "If Jesus wanted America to speak Spanish and have the Super Bowl half time show in a foreign language, he would not have written the Bible in English."? No, that's not true: Noem did not say this. This fake quote came from a meme shared by a satire page that included a small watermark with the…

Do two viral videos authentically show a 200-foot statue of Jesus Christ being placed on the grounds of the White House in Washington? No, that's not true: Both videos were possibly generated using AI according to online detection tools, and a live webcam of the White House shows no such statue. Details in the videos, such as the number of…

Did Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, say, "Jesus Christ didn't have electricity either and he did just fine" while explaining President Donald Trump's tariff policies? No, that's not true: None of Leavitt's press briefings before the purported quote appeared online included that remark. There is evidence that the supposed quote originated in a joke response from a Reddit…

Does a video circulating on social media show thousands of Christians in France gathered to pray after the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony purportedly mocked Jesus? No, that's not true: The video shows people gathered in Rosary Square in Lourdes, France, on August 14, 2022 -- the eve of the annual Feast of the Assumption. This video does not show…

Did massive power outages occur in Paris on July 27, 2024, the day after the Olympics opening ceremony? No, that's not true: The energy company responsible for the power outages said power was restored within 10 minutes and that 85,000 residential clients were affected, while the Paris metropolitan area has a population of 11 million. The power cuts were not…

Did President Joe Biden and his administration not mention Jesus Christ and the Resurrection on March 31, 2024, when many denominations of Christianity celebrate Easter? No, that's not true: The president released a statement on Easter mentioning both. "Easter reminds us of the power of hope and the promise of Christ's Resurrection. As we gather with loved ones, we remember…

Did President Joe Biden declare Easter Sunday to be "Transgender Day of Visibility"? No, that's not true: The Biden White House did issue a proclamation celebrating the "extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans," on March 31, as it had in each of the three prior years. In 2024, the day coincided with Easter. While Transgender Day of Visibility, started…