Donald Trump Felon

Did cadets' concerns about upholding their Honor Code cause Donald Trump to leave West Point graduation on May 24, 2025 without shaking the hand of every graduate, as a viral social media post claimed? No, that's not true: The post, reshared 39,000 times on Facebook in less than a day, was satire, author Robert Hawks said after fact checkers looked…

Did "New York police" say publicly in April 2025 that President Donald Trump's height and weight were 5'10" and 287 pounds? No, that's not true: Neither the New York Police Department nor the New York State Police made any statement about Trump's physical attributes in response to the publication of his annual physical examination. According to Trump's physician, U.S. Navy…

Did Elon Musk say in a post on X that DOGE had uncovered "tens of millions of dollars spent on golf by a single government official"? No, that's not true: What appeared to be screenshots of a March 16, 2025, post by Musk to that effect were in fact digital fabrications. The fake post appeared to be a satirical allusion…

Did wrestler Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, threaten to "punch" Elon Musk on X in March 2025, if the tech billionaire "doesn't leave America alone"? No, that's not true: A review of Johnson's posts doesn't confirm he ever published what was attributed to him. The claim originated from an obscure clickbait website whose disclaimer said that it "assumes…

Did actor Richard Gere leave the United States after Donald Trump became president and did he vow "never to return"? No, that's not true: The actor announced the move as far back as April 2024 when Joe Biden was still President and the national conventions still had to happen. The stated reason for the move was that Gere's wife is…

Did Elon Musk announce that he had acquired MSNBC for $900 million to "put an end to toxic programming?" No, that's not true: A search of Musk's X account did not show this announcement from him on the days leading up to publication of the claim. As of March 14, 2025, no reliable news outlets were reporting what would have…

Did White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announce on Fox News that tech billionaire Elon Musk left the U.S. after revealing "a secret at-home method that can reverse diabetes for good"? No, none of that is true: Paid ads circulating on Facebook used voice-cloning technology to mimic the speech of public persons. No credible sources reported the purported "news," and…

Did tech billionaire and Donald Trump's ally Elon Musk go on X to say that "this country's billionaires are tired of subsidizing everyone else's schools, parks, health care, even food and entertainment"? No, that's not true: Neither his live posts on the supposed publication's date nor archived versions of his account on X showed the purported quote. The picture of…

Is there a public record of a memo showing President Donald Trump prohibited the use of the word "felon" "inside the White House or on White House grounds" as of February 14, 2025? No, that's not true: The White House couldn't confirm the existence of such an announcement when contacted by a Lead Stories reporter. The White House website doesn't…

Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum say she thought Americans encouraged felons and rapists to come to the United States since "that's what they chose to be their president"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Sheinbaum made such a statement. The quote originated on a TikTok channel that describes itself as a place for "Awful Sports Takes, Brutal SportsBetting…