Did a leaked Fox News memo say interviewers used Vicks VapoRub to mask Donald Trump's purportedly offensive odor? No, that's not true: The account on X that wrote about the memo describes its content as satire and comedy. No credible news sources reported on such a leaked memo. The document does not exist. The claim originated from a post (archived…
Is Donald Trump banned from voting in Florida because of his felony conviction? No, that's not true: Florida allows felons to vote if their conviction took place in another state that has no such ban. Trump was convicted in New York state, where felons are allowed to cast their ballots if they are not in prison. Trump has yet to…
Did Donald Trump sit on a black towel during his appearance on "Fox & Friends" on October 18, 2024? No, that's not true: When Trump sat on a couch for an interview, material from his dark suit jacket fanned out on both sides. There was no other material visible on the couch with him. The claim appeared in a post…
Did Donald Trump post "I don't poop myself" to his social media platform, Truth Social, as posts on social media suggested? No, that's not true: An account on X that describes itself as posting satire and parody content first shared an image that appeared to be a screenshot of the quote but with a satire label. The original poster also…
Did Melania Trump declare that she wants a divorce from Donald Trump in a 2024 "October surprise"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Melania Trump said she wanted to divorce her husband, the former president of the United States, in October 2024 amid the presidential race. No credible news sites have reported that she made this declaration; her…
Did a video show former Republican Vice President Mike Pence endorsing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the 2024 U.S. presidential elections? No, that's not true: The video was edited to make it sound like Pence endorsed Harris and Walz, the Democratic presidential ticket. In the original footage of Pence's remarks, he stated that he could not vote for Harris…
Did journalist Bob Woodward tweet about Donald Trump wearing incontinence underpants? No, that's not true: Earlier versions of the tweet made it clear that its creator -- not Woodward -- was someone who specializes in anti-Trump parody. The later versions of the tweet crop out the reference to the satirist, who published the meme on X in January 2023. The…
Does a video circulating on social media show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu running to a bunker to take shelter from an Iranian missile attack? No, that's not true: The video was posted to Netanyahu's Twitter account in December 2021, when there were no Iranian missile strikes on Israel. It shows Netanyahu hurrying to a vote in the Israeli parliament,…
Did an authentic video show a real interview between Donald Trump and Sean "Diddy" Combs? No, that's not true: It came from a YouTube channel described as "Conversations that never took place between people who never met. Created using existing interviews." Lead Stories found the original interviews from the 1990s used to create the fake one. The claim appeared in…
Did vice presidential candidate JD Vance admit that his campaign gave him a "rent-a-dog" to use on the campaign trail? No, that's not true: Vance's full statement, which he made during an interview with Tucker Carlson, was a sarcastic acknowledgment of an online rumor. Vance also said he owned his dog before his vice presidential candidacy began. The claim appeared…
Did Donald Trump post "0-2" on Truth Social after a second attempt on his life was made on September 15, 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that this post appeared on the former U.S. president's account and the font in the alleged post was not the same as the one used on other Truth Social posts from…
Did the ABC television network fire the hosts of the September 10, 2024, U.S. presidential debate, calling them "a disgrace"? No, that's not true: A self-described satire and parody website published the story about the pair's supposed firing. Lead Stories found nothing authoritative to substantiate the claim that ABC fired the two. The claim originated from an article (archived here)…
Are Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, "kidnapping and eating their neighbors' cats" in 2024? No, that's not true: Springfield police said they had no reports of pets being stolen and eaten. A city official told Lead Stories that there are "no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community." The…
Does a video capture a real Ku Klux Klan member joining Trump supporters at a rally? No, that's not true: The man wearing the white hood associated with the hate group is a self-described internet troll, according to his own words on social media posts and in a newspaper interview. In a video featuring the man's previous attempt to sneak…
Did former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican, post on X that Republican leaders are "satires of men"? No, that's not true: This post is fabricated, using Liz Cheney's name and likeness but a subtly misspelled handle of "Liz_Choney." At the bottom of the "Choney" post are the words, "Parody by Back Rub." The "Choney" post originated on an X…
Does the appearance of people's hands in the "Walz's for Trump" picture confirm that the image was generated by artificial intelligence? No, that's not true: That conclusion appears to have been drawn from the examination of a low-quality version of the image that obscured some of the details present in the original post. A better-quality version of the picture does…
Did Donald Trump appear in early September 2024 with a bandage on his ear on Fox News -- more than seven weeks after his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt? No, that's not true: The picture of Trump on X with a bandage on his ear was from an interview only 11 days after the shooting.…
Did Melania Trump officially e-file for divorce from Donald Trump over Labor Day weekend 2024? No, that's not true: This story originated with a faked screenshot that looked like Newsweek reporting. The image resembling a Newsweek tweet was posted to several social media platforms by data scientist and whistleblower Rebekah Jones, who later claimed this was a test. After the…
Does a social media graphic showing overwhelming support among veterans for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris reflect the results of an authentic Fox News poll? No, that's not true: A spokeswoman for Fox News told Lead Stories the image is fake. She said Fox News has not published such a poll. The graphic appeared in a post (archived here) on…
Was Donald Trump caught on tape during a Fox News commercial break, saying that someone who is called into war is a "dumbfuck redneck" and that volunteering for military service is "stupid"? No, that's not true: This recording is fake -- it originated from a parody account. It appears that a human voice actor impersonated Donald Trump in this recording,…
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