Barack Obama

Was the service history of Colonel Ruby Bradley, an American nurse captured in the Philippines during World War II, removed from official military websites on orders of U.S. President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or DOGE? As of this writing, some pages describing her life were still available on government online resources. Yet, in at least two instances, those…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump officially warn former President Barack Obama that he would face Hatch Act charges if he went to El Salvador? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from an online network with a satire label, known for publishing made-up stories. Potential violations of the Hatch Act are not criminally punishable. The claim appeared in a video…

Did Chinese officials say that President Donald Trump had been calling them regularly in order to "beg for a trade deal", but they had been putting him on hold and playing speeches by former President Barack Obama? No, that's not true: That rumor originated with an account that posts "comedy and satire." The Halfway Post regularly publishes content that others…

Did the federal government pay Barack and Michelle Obama $30 million over the course of the Biden administration, from 2021 to 2025? No, that's not true: That claim originated in an April 2025 post by a Facebook account that labels its content as satirical in nature. We found no corroboration whatsoever for the claim. The story appeared in the form…

Was former U.S. president Barack Obama caught "laundering money through the Cayman Islands" for private gain in March 2025, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: The viral post misrepresented the words of a guest on the Joe Rogan podcast. That person was talking about U.S. government funding of a "Cuban Twitter", not about Obama's direct involvement…

Does a social media post stating "Never seen anyone fall off harder" show how Michelle Obama looks in March 2025? No, that's not true: The image in the viral social media post has been edited. The altered promotional Image for "IMO," a podcast featuring Michelle Obama and her older brother Craig Robinson, has the faces of the two hosts switched.…

Did President Donald Trump's adviser Alina Habba discover a hidden "fake Oval Office" used by former President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: There is nothing secret or hidden about the constructed Oval Office set. It is the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower building and has been used by multiple presidents, including Trump. Habba implied she discovered the "fake…

Did Donald Trump post a tweet on November 6, 2012, that read, "If the Dow drops 1,000 points in two days the President should be impeached immediately!"? No, that's not true: This is a fake tweet that was manufactured in 2018, years after it was purportedly first posted. There is no record of the original tweet on Donald Trump's Twitter…

Did the U.S. Justice Department just release the 1998-2004 flight logs for Jeffrey Epstein's Boeing 727? No, that's not true: We've had then since early 2015 and have embedded copies of the flight logs in several Lead Stories fact checks. This reporter investigated allegations of Epstein's abuse of young females as a national correspondent for American Media Inc. in January…

Did DOGE halt a $2.6 million annual payment to former President Obama for "Obamacare" royalties? No, that's not true: The story originated in a meme from a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The meme appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on February 25, 2025.…