Emmanuel Macron

Is the United States shutting down a Naval base in Alexandroupoli, Greece, as reported in February 2025? No, that's not true: A defense official told Lead Stories there is no "US base in Alexandroupolis." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied the claim on February 24, 2025, saying at the White House, "It's a no," according to the White House press…

Does a video authentically show Vladimir Putin going "past world leaders to shake Trump's hand"? No, that's not true: The version of the clip that went viral in the days leading up to Trump's second inauguration in January 2025 was edited to remove several key frames documenting one of the 2018 events commemorating the end of World War I. Multiple…

Did Al Jazeera publish a video that reported the United Arab Emirates froze the purchase of 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets from France over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, as posts on X claimed? No, that's not true: Al Jazeera told Lead Stories that's not their report, and that the video is "fake." Likewise, the French embassy in…

Is a photo showing French President Emmanuel Macron kissing a man authentic? No, that's not true: The photo in this post was digitally altered to change the original image and make it appear like Macron was intimate with another man. In public media accounts, the unedited image displayed Macron play-fighting with his bodyguard while on vacation -- not kissing him.…

Does a photo show tractors lined up to block boats of migrants from landing at the port of Dover in the U.K.? No, that's not true: The photo on social media shows a protest on January 26, 2024, at a French seaside resort where President Emmanuel Macron has a second home. The farmers driving the tractors were protesting against various…

Does a viral video show authentic footage of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and France's Emmanuel Macron dancing before becoming president? No, that's not true: Heavily edited, it contained a substantial amount of deepfake shots. Other people's faces were digitally replaced with those of Zelenskyy and Macron. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on Instagram on June 29, 2024, under…

Did the leader of France's National Rally party Marine Le Pen announce that she will save France from "the New World Order" and that "Macron will be arrested"? No, that's not true: The story came from a website known for producing false stories, and it was first published a year before the 2024 legislative election in France. The false story…

Does a video show President Joe Biden trying to sit on "a chair that doesn't exist" on June 6, 2024, during ceremonies commemorating D-Day in France? No, that's not true: The video that went viral on social media has been edited to crop out the moment Biden sits down on an existing, tangible chair. In the extended video, Biden is…

Did Jill Biden lead President Joe Biden out of the Normandy ceremony before it ended, as a post on social media implies? No, that's not true: The ceremony on June 6, 2024, honoring D-Day veterans at the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Normandy landings was ending when Biden and the first lady left the ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron and…

Did France 24 report that French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled a visit to Ukraine over fears of an assassination attempt? No, that's not true: France 24 debunked the claim. The video purporting to show the network report the news is a deepfake, generated by AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on…