Taxes

Did President Donald Trump hide an acrostic message - spelling out "JD KILL POPE" - in an April 18, 2025 post to his Truth Social account three days before the death of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The paragraph, marked in red to show a supposed acrostic message, was never posted by Trump's Truth Social account. The counterfeit screenshot…

If the 2025 draft of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is enacted, will 69 million married American women be unable to vote without getting a new official ID, as opponents have said on social media? The bill aims to prevent non-citizens from voting by requiring in-person registration with citizenship and ID documents in hand. SAVE Act sponsors say…

Did President Trump post a message to Truth Social about denaturalizing and deporting dual citizens as "traitors" under the espionage act? No, that's not true: A viral image purporting to be a screenshot of such a post was fabricated. The post did not appear on Trump's account. An example of the image appeared in a post on X (archived here)…

Did President Donald Trump cancel taxes on all overtime starting Monday, March 31, 2025? No, that's not true: The video used in a social media post making the claim is from a September 12, 2024, campaign rally when Trump vowed to make overtime pay exempt from federal taxes if he were elected. As of March 25, 2025, congressional Republicans were…

Does the February 2025 GOP budget resolution include an end to taxes on tips? No, that's not true: The resolution passed on February 25, 2025, does not specify which tax proposals will be included, and the "no tax on tips" policy remains under consideration. A budget resolution is an agreement between the House and Senate that establishes recommended levels of…

Did President Donald Trump sign an executive order on February 3, 2025, announcing the purchase of 2 billion doses of COVID shots from Moderna and Pfizer? No, that's not true: The order established a sovereign wealth fund, a government-owned fund that directs funding from various resources. In a video of the signing, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick recalled purchasing pandemic-era…

Did newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent post on X that he was "committed to eliminating income taxes, replacing them with a fair consumption tax, and adopting a gold-backed currency"? No, that's not true: X has since suspended the account where the post appeared for violation of its rules, which often includes taking down fake accounts. There is no evidence…

Did President Donald Trump propose a law that says only the person who pays child support can claim a child on their taxes? No, that's not true: There's no proof Trump ever suggested this idea. The current tax rules, which include changes made under Trump's 2017 tax cuts set to expire in 2026, don't stop both parents from being able…

Is Social Security out of money for payouts to be made starting June 1, 2025? No, that's not true: This was implied by a post on Threads that did not cite any official document, did not link to expert analysis or provided no financial records. The Social Security Trust Fund, from which benefits are paid, was solvent on the day…

Are paid subscribers of Walmart+ the only customers who can use the self-checkout lanes at all U.S. Walmart stores as of December 6, 2024? No, that's not true: Self-checkout lanes are not exclusively and universally reserved for only Walmart+ members all of the time. Walmart representatives told Lead Stories that some stores "may adjust the use of staffed and self-checkouts…