Executive Order

Did U.S. President Donald Trump publicly declare that he would implement martial law in the United States on April 20, 2025? No, that's not true: As of April 9, Trump had not publicly given any such order, or made any such declaration. Rumors that Trump would announce or implement martial law on April 20 stemmed from an executive order relating…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump claim that automobile executive Lee Iacocca had endorsed his tariff plans in April 2025, even though Iacocca died in 2019? No, that's not true: In remarks on April 2, 2025, Trump cited praise of his plan from an unnamed person who had supposedly worked with Iacocca. The former president of Ford and chairman of Chrysler…

Does a "loophole in U.S. law" legally grant permission to noncitizens to vote in federal elections if they believe they are U.S. citizens? No, that's not true: A professor specializing in election law told Lead Stories that what was referred to on social media as a "loophole" described such a narrow exception that "it's hard to imagine whom it might…

Did Arlington National Cemetery remove Gen. Colin Powell's profile from the cemetery's website in March 2025? A spokesperson for the cemetery told Lead Stories that the cemetery had removed a category relating to African-American service members, but that Powell's profile had been moved to two different sections of the website. Lead Stories confirmed Powell was still present in the sections…

Did Donald Trump admit in an Oval Office ceremony on March 7, 2025, that the 2024 election was rigged so that he could become president again? No, that's not true: President Trump was claiming the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden was rigged, not the 2024 election. If he had won in 2020, he would not be president when…

Did Donald Trump just designate the month of March as "Women's History Month" by signing an executive order? No, that's not true: The formal observation of Women's History Month was started by Congress in 1987, an expansion of the previous statute designating Women's History Week. Part of the resolution reads: "The President is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon…

Did President Donald Trump sign an executive order banning HOAs (Homeowner Associations) in the United States? No, that's not true: The TikTok video making the claim offered no evidence it was real and it was posted as a joke on an account that publishes with the hashtag #funnytiktok. Currently the website of the White House has no references to any…

Did President Donald Trump alter or change divorce law in the U.S., ending a mandatory 50-50 equal asset split for divorced couples as claimed by viral posts and videos? No, that's not true: Splitting assets and dividing property under U.S. divorce law is regulated on a state-by-state basis and not at the federal level. There have been no news reports…

Does President Donald Trump's executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America help enforce newly drawn borders decided in December 2023 by a "World Court" that gives water over land shelves to the respective countries? No, that's not true: Executive Order 14172 is a direction to the Secretary of the Interior to rename…

Did the Trump administration ban Julianne Moore's book "Freckleface Strawberry" from Department of Defense schools? No, that's not true: A Department of Defense spokesperson said, "We are conducting a review -- no materials have been permanently removed from our school libraries pending completion of the review." The review process began due to executive orders from President Donald Trump and guidance…