White House

Does a viral picture of an inflatable JD Vance show what the White House Halloween decorations looked like in October 2025? No, that's not true: The image was not an authentic photograph. It originated from an AI-generated video showing such unrealistic scenes as a running inflatable JD Vance or a woman flying a broomstick. The claim appeared in a post…

Did the Donald Trump White House publish a press release offering pieces of the demolished East Wing for $500 per item at a website whose name suggested an affiliation with the U.S. president? No, that's not true: An image of the purported press release circulating on social media was full of nonsensical typos and redirected to a nonexistent website. As…

Was a plaque quoting President Franklin D. Roosevelt about "a house owned by all the American people" torn down by the demolition of the East Wing of the White House? No, that's not true: The FDR quote is engraved into a stone wall at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Tourists can find it in the first section of the "Second…

Did White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describe the ballroom construction at the White House as President Trump's "main priority"? Yes, she did, but social media posts took the quote out of context. When Leavitt said "the ballroom is really the President's main priority", she was not addressing the overall state of affairs in the country or abroad. Leavitt was…

Does a photo show demolition done to the White House by Barack Obama to install an indoor basketball court? No, that's not true: A black and white photo shows the West Wing expansion project conducted by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934. Obama did install a basketball court in 2009, 75 years after the photo was taken, but it did not…

Does a picture widely shared on social media authentically show partial demolition of the East Wing of the White House in October 2025? Yes, it does: The photo was first published by the Washington Post.. The image showed no signs of generative AI or other inconsistencies characteristic of recycled unrelated visuals. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did Donald Trump make an all-caps post on Truth Social which said, "I'M NOT INCOMPITENT!!!!"? No, that's not true: A fake screenshot resurfaced on social media in Oct. 2025. The satirical screenshot had already circulated as early as June 2025. There is no record of this post originating from the verified account of Donald Trump. An early example of the…

Did Barron Trump drop out of New York University in the fall of 2025, as a viral social media post claimed? No, that's not true: The claim was made with no documentary, eyewitness or other evidence. The day before the post declared Barron had dropped out, Kai Trump, Barron's niece, posted a video in which President Trump said Barron was…

Did a federal judge in Virginia drop charges against former FBI Director James Comey because the prosecutor misspelled Comey's last name as "Homey"? No, that's not true: The rumor on social media originated from a satire website. As of October 10, 2025, the trial date was set for January 5, 2026; however, the former FBI Director's legal team stated that…

Does a video show Delta Airlines removing an elderly man from a flight because he was wearing a MAGA hat? No, that's not true: The man was wearing a red hat that read "Build Back Better My Ass," not "Make America Great Again." The pilot, who said he himself was "ultra MAGA", told him he was escorted off the plane…