Did President Trump issue an order deeming church services an essential business? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles from the site are frequently copied by foreign-run fake news…

Did President Trump post a tweet blaming President Obama for failing to prepare him for a pandemic and celebrating that there are still more people alive than dead? No, that's not true: this is a fake tweet. The president never wrote this. An example of the hoax appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on May 11, 2020. The…

Did President Trump send out a tweet that included the phrase "Oldies will have to die" in connection with lifting coronavirus restrictions? No, that's not true: the claim originated on a satire website but was widely picked up on Twitter and presented as real by several people. A search of Trump's recent tweets did not show any that contained the…

Did Vice President Mike Pence deliver empty boxes of PPE to a hospital as a publicity stunt? No, this is not true: Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked a video of Pence delivering boxes that were "empty" to a health care center amid the coronavirus outbreak, but the clip he used was edited and taken out of context.…

Are megachurches and their preachers failing to contribute to fighting COVID-19 or offer their millions to coronavirus relief efforts? No, that is not entirely true. While it's unclear how much money is being directly donated by these churches and their leaders out of their personal wealth, it is clear that some are offering in-kind donations and support during the pandemic.…

Did Mary Anne Trump call her son, President Trump, an "idiot" who would "be a disaster in politics"? No, there is no record such a statement was ever made by Trump's mother about her son. The claim stems from a meme that won't die. Social media users have been sharing images carrying an unsubstantiated quote from Mary Anne Trump since…

Did President Trump urge people to ingest or inject disinfectants as a treatment for coronavirus? No, that's not true: He only urged that research be done into the topic. The claim (archived here) originated from comments Trump made on April 23, 2020, to reporters and was quickly misunderstood by some people on social media. The post, which includes the video…

Did President Trump announce that the "biological" lab in Wuhan where the "COVID-19 virus was created" was "funded" by President Barack Hussein Obama? No, that's not true. Trump said the allegations were being studied by his administration, but he made no such announcement. Still, many on the right have spread misleading and false social media posts making the claim. Trump…

Did Republican Vice President Mike Pence recently stand with GOP Congressional members waving a Confederate flag, proving he is racist? No, that's not true. A simple reverse image check reveals the then-vice president-elect stood before a large group of Republican House members, taking a selfie with them. There is no truth to the claim, as the real photo has been…

Did former U.S. Rep. and current Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy go on a lengthy rant, complaining that the COVID-19 shutdowns across the United States are overblown and "fishy"? No, that's not true. A tirade attributed to Gowdy was not written or said by him. The claim appeared as a post (archived here) on Facebook on April 22, 2020. It…

Did Mitt Romney endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made-up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles from the site are frequently copied by foreign-run fake news websites.…

Is the U.S. government using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to remove end-to-end encryption so officials would be able to listen to everyone's calls and see everyone's private messages? No, that does not appear to be the case: A controversial bill -- one that has been made public and is the subject of much attention and debate -- has…

Did President Trump say that "hundreds" of state governors are calling him? No, that is false. This is a claim making the rounds on social media that takes the words of the president out of context. And it appears designed to make the president look ignorant of the fact there are only 50 states. The claim appeared in a post…

Did Donald Trump claim in a 2009 tweet that he would "never let thousands of Americans die from a pandemic while in office" amidst the so-called swine flu, or H1N1, pandemic during the Barack Obama presidency? No, that's not true: A fake tweet containing that claim is being shared thousands of times on Facebook and other social media. One of…

Did former Tonight Show host Jay Leno pass away at the age of 71, and was he a lifelong Republican and Trump supporter? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles…

Did President Trump refer to the novel coronavirus as a "hoax" or a "political conspiracy"? No, that's not true: Social media posts making the rounds have taken Trump's comments out of context to suggest he was calling the Coronavirus a hoax or conspiracy. Instead, the president was referring to what he believed were Democratic efforts to politicize the coronavirus. The…

Are wealthy presidential foundations, including those of the Clintons and Obamas, failing to step up during the COVID-19 pandemic - which has already claimed more than 16,200 lives in the U.S. as of April 9, 2020? That's not necessarily true, depending on how you define "help." Several foundations of former presidents are offering words of advice or hope, donating food…

Did Bill Withers leave $2 million to President Donald Trump's re-election campaign? No, that's not true: The "Lean On Me" singer, who died on April 3, 2020, did not leave part of his estate to Trump's campaign. The claim is part of a satirical article published by a website that trolls Trump supporters. Other websites often steal such content and…

Did President Trump refer to the novel coronavirus as a hoax? No, that's not true: Audio and video clips making the rounds have been edited and taken out of context to suggest Trump was calling the coronavirus a hoax. Instead, the president was referring to what he believed were Democratic efforts to politicize the coronavirus. The claim has appeared in…

Did President Trump sign a bill that addresses the future of 5G infrastructure? Yes, that's true: the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020 was signed on March 23, 2020, but a video detailing the potential fallout of expanding 5G technology is exaggerated. The claim came from a video (archived here) where it was published by The Last American Vagabond…