White House

Is a photo of President Donald Trump with one eye closed and the other half open with the U.S. Marine Corps flag behind him new as of April 24, 2026? No, that's not true: The image appeared in social media posts in as early as November 2020, although Lead Stories has been unable to pinpoint the exact date it was…

Is a viral video showing President Donald Trump falling asleep during a press event at the White House real and did he actually hit his head on his desk? No, that's not true: The video and screenshots of it shared by social media users originated from a self-described meme account. The clip was digitally altered, likely using AI. The claim…

Did Pope Leo XIV blast White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt or her resume during a television interview? No, that's not true: Social media posts making the claim were created and distributed by a spam operation managed from Vietnam that uses AI tools to create click bait content targeted at American and European audiences. There is no evidence that the…

Does a verified report say President Donald Trump tried to "access the nuclear codes" but was blocked by Gen. Dan Caine, as claimed by retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson? No, that's not true: There are no credible or verified reports indicating that such an incident ever occurred. While Johnson said on a podcast that there was a report of this…

Is a photo that shows Donald Trump with no damage to his ear immediately after the Butler assassination attempt authentic? No, that's not true: An online AI detection tool rated the image as 100% likely AI-generated. The account that originally posted the photo posts multiple AI images. Published images from the day of the assassination attempt show Trump with blood…

Did Pope Leo XIV say, "Iran can have a nuclear weapon," as President Donald Trump suggested on the White House lawn in April 2026? No, that's not true: The pope has repeatedly argued against war and denounced nuclear weapons. In March 2026, he posted on X, "Let us #PrayTogether that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that…

Does a real video show the Saudi foreign minister stating that "the era of relying on the US has ended"? No, that's not true: According to three translation tools, the caption fabricated the content of the video it claimed to summarize. In reality, the clip showed Faisal bin Farhan discussing in 2022 Saudi Arabia's cooperation with the West and the…

Does a viral post prove that Sharon Simmons, who made a DoorDash delivery to the White House, is a "paid actor"? No, that's not true: The post offered no evidence to support the claim. DoorDash, its spokesperson, and Simmons' own congressional testimony all confirm she is a real "dasher" -- the company's term for delivery drivers. The claim appeared in…

Did CNN's "Caityn Collins" leave the White House press room after Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt embarrassed her by saying she had not "reported a fact since you left the Daily Caller nine years ago"? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page run by a liberal man with a long history of tricking conservatives into…

Does a viral image purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein hugging Melania Trump document a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find supporting evidence that it's an authentic photo. Two AI detectors pointed to the presence of generative AI in the picture. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by the…