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Were embryonic stem cells used in the development of Regeneron, the antibody treatment given to President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the company behind the antibody cocktail, told Lead Stories that it did not use such cells in the development of its therapy. However, the treatment was tested using cells that were originally derived from an aborted…

In a video update on his medical condition, did President Donald Trump say he has "USA" instead of DNA and that doctors never saw a body kill coronavirus the way his does? No, that's not true: There is no record of Trump saying that and he doesn't say it in the video clip in which he was purported to have…

Did hospital records expose President Donald Trump's weight at 332 pounds? No, that's not true: No hospital records concerning President Trump are publicly available. The only official information about Trump's weight has been provided by the White House physician, including the revelation that he weighed 244 pounds as of June 2, 2020. Dr. Sean Conley also said on October 3,…

Did AARP endorse Joe Biden for president and give financial support to Planned Parenthood? No, both of those claims are not true: AARP is a nonprofit organization that is legally prohibited from supporting candidates and does not have a policy regarding abortion issues. An AARP spokesperson denied both assertions and the person making the claims offered no corroborating evidence. The…

Does the seasonal flu kill more than 100,000 U.S. residents some years and is it more lethal than COVID-19, as President Trump claimed in a tweet? No on both counts: The CDC estimates that over the past decade yearly totals for U.S. flu deaths have ranged from a low of 12,000 people to a high of 61,000. And, although much…

Is Kayleigh McEnany out as the White House press secretary? No, that's not true: The claim is based on a misunderstanding of her reference to her former role: press secretary for Donald Trump's 2020 campaign. The claim originated from a tweet (archived here) published by Twitter user Frank Giugliano on October 5, 2020. It read: Kayleigh McEnany's Twitter profile says:…

Did President Trump carry a portable oxygen concentrator in his coat pocket to help him breathe as he walked from the White House to Marine One on his way to Walter Reed National Military Center on October 2, 2020? No, that's not true: A close examination of videos shot by news cameras does not support the claim that the president…

Is forced vaccination of the unwilling part of the COVID-19 vaccination plan released by the Trump administration? No, that's not true: Both the vaccination plan itself and public statements by U.S. health officials emphasize free vaccines -- once developed -- will be voluntary. The website making the claim provides no proof that forced vaccination is planned. The forced vaccination claim…

Did President Trump's campaign send out a mailer asking for the public's help in raising $421 million soon after the president tested positive for COVID-19, to care for his recovery? No, that is not true. The supposed mailer, which is making the rounds on social media, is a fabrication. The $421 million figure appears a play on the amount of…

Do photos show President Donald Trump with a "neural stimulator device" on his scalp under his hair? No, there's no evidence that's true: Even assuming the photographs are real, which we don't, the images are not suggestive of such a device, a neural device expert told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a post (archived here), published on Facebook on…

Did Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior advisor to the President, delete all his tweets after an explosive New York Times story was published on Trump's purported extremely low or nonexistant tax payments? No, that's not true: Kushner did not delete all his tweets after the story broke, because he did not have any tweets to delete. Internet archives show that…

Did President Trump post a homophobic and racist tweet about his phone call with Colby Covington, an MMA fighter and fervent Trump supporter? No, that's not true: It is a fabricated tweet created by a satire site. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published by @mmamafia on Sept. 22, 2020 with the caption, "Lmfao (Credit: @thesportrag) #ufc…

Is Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's wife the granddaughter of Sen. Mitch McConnell? No, that's not true. A rumor went viral that Mackenze Evans was the granddaughter of the Republican Senate majority leader. Cameron's spokeswoman, Elizabeth Kuhn, told Lead Stories that was "false." There is also no support for the claim she is the senator's niece. The claim appeared as…

Did President Trump post a tweet that said it was "not fair for a president to leave office because of BAD votes" and that "the Supreme Court should decide the presidency"? No, that's not true: It is a fake tweet that was shared as real on social platforms just a day after the president made a real comment refusing to…

Did U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao's father get "caught" operating a coal-carrying cargo ship that was captured by the Colombian coast guard with 90 pounds of cocaine aboard? No, that is not true. While a cargo ship was stopped with 87.7 pounds of cocaine in 2014, and Chao's father's company had ties to the ship, he was not "caught" operating…

Does President Trump have 26 active lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault, including seven that accuse Trump of sexually abusing children? No, that's not true. While some reports have indeed put the number of allegations against Trump at 26 since the 1970s, not all have been filed in court. Also, there is only one claim that Trump abused a child…

Did Donald Trump tweet "Obama should wait until he leaves office to pick another Justice! If he doesn't, he should be fired!" in April 2016 about an election year Supreme Court vacancy? No, that's not true. This is a fake tweet that Trump never sent, according to the archive of his tweets. The fake tweet is gaining traction amid the…

Did Facebook delete a photo of first lady Melania Trump, her sister and her mother? No, that's not true: The photo that was purportedly deleted (it wasn't) showed the first lady, her sister, and a philanthropist named Audrey Gruss -- not Melania Trump's mother. Facebook said it found no evidence of deletion. Some versions of the image were labeled as…

Did Time Magazine publish a cover calling Donald Trump the worst president ever and saying he has "disgraced the highest office in the nation"? No, that's not true: A meme making the claim features a fake cover image. The claim appeared in a post shared on September 18, 2020 by a Facebook page named "CAKE" (archived here) with following text…

Is Donald Trump a rapist and a pedophile? There's no proof this is true: The claims are based on allegations and lawsuits that have been recanted, dismissed or remain ongoing. They remain unproven in a court of law. The claims appeared in a tweet (archived here), posted by actress Debra Messing on Sept. 15, 2020. It read: Trump is a…