Satire

Did White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempt to explain the presence of Donald Trump's last name in the newly released Epstein files by saying that it was "another person with the same name", not a reference to Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from a self-described satire…

Did a trail camera capture footage of a still-missing three-year-old Jacob Riley walking with a pack of wolves just outside Blue Ridge? No, that's not true: This video was published by Blue Ridge Breaking News, which produces satire and parody content. A disclaimer on the Facebook page says, "We are a world-renowned satirical news organization bringing you the stories that…

Did a "Breaking" news story show White House lawyers worried that Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Nancy Mace had recorded phone calls in which President Donald Trump "begged" them to vote against release of the Epstein files by the FBI? No, that's not true: There was no such report and the rumor started on a social media satire page. The…

Did the Justice Department launch a grand jury investigation into California Governor Gavin Newsom, accused by critics of violating the Logan Act by going to a climate conference in Brazil? No, that's not true: The story's source was a fictional character, "US Attorney for North-Central California Joe Barron". The claim originated from a page warning its readers that nothing it…

Did Walmart announce that it would shut down 23 "neighborhood markets" locations in New York City due to the "tax system Mamdani has planned"? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Walmart has no stores of any type in New York City. The earlier variations of the claim showed a satire label linking it to the self-professed liberal troll…

Did President Trump ask the Transportation and Commerce departments to introduce 15-year car loans as a way to make vehicle ownership for all a reality? No, that's not true: A meme making the claim is apparently satire inspired by Trump's real proposal to extend home mortgages to 50 years. There is no official statement from the White House and no…

Did the "nation's largest trucking company" publicly refuse to offer its services in New York City after Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani takes office? No, that's not true: The claim was based on a made-up press release published by a page with a satire label. No credible media outlet reported the purported news. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did singer Addison Rae accidentally leave a ChatGPT prompt in a "Thank You" letter for the Grammys? No, that's not true: A fake screenshot of such a message originated on a satirical account on X. The "Drop Pop" account is known for posting jokes at the expense of various celebrities and is clearly labeled as satire. The supposed message appeared…

Did an exit poll show that 92% of California voters thought Proposition 50 was a ballot measure to impeach President Trump? No, that's not true: The claim originated from a post on a satiric X account on which the original poster of the 92% claim repeatedly made it clear he was being sarcastic. There is no publicly available exit poll…

Is a video showing a U.S. Marine pushing President Donald Trump up the steps into the Marine One helicopter real? No, that's not true: A full version of the video shows the president's pants splitting, exposing a large hole in his underwear and the Marine's uniform is not authentic. It was obviously created by an artificial intelligence tool. The earliest…