Elections

Did an executive of the gay dating app Grindr say that the Republican National Convention is "basically Grindr's Super Bowl"? No, that's not true: Video on social media that makes the claim shows a user scrolling through Grindr accounts at a concert of gay Australian musical artist Troye Sivan, not at the the Republican National Convention. Lead Stories could find…

Does a video show President Joe Biden calling former President Donald Trump "a danger to the country" after the assassination attempt against Trump on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The video of Biden calling Trump a "danger to the country" is from an interview he recorded the day before, on July 12, 2024. That's according to the White…

Does a viral video show former President Donald Trump falling asleep on the first day of the Republican National Committee convention in July 2024? No, that's not true: The image was taken when he had his eyes closed during a prayer. Photos and video from the event show that other attendees did that, too. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a photo of former President Donald Trump with an uninjured right ear prove that the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt did not damage the ear permanently, as was claimed in a tweet? No, that's not true: The photo was taken September 17, 2022, almost two years before the injury. Multiple independent live telecasts showed Trump's ear was bandaged during…

Does a video show Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by authorities as the man who shot at former President Donald Trump, shouting, "slash Republican throats"? No, that's not true: An Arizona State University official told Lead Stories that the FBI, in an unrelated 2020 investigation, identified the man filmed shouting threats on the Tempe campus and that he was not Thomas…

Does a social media video show Donald Trump playing golf on July 14, 2024, a day after he was struck in the ear during an attempted assassination? No, that's not true: Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who was one of those who posted the video online, later said, "Okay I'm now told this video was uploaded today but *not* taken…

Was the shooter responsible for the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump identified as "California resident Hank Pecker"? No, that's not true: The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The man pictured in a claim on social media is Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. A search through an online news archive did not yield…

Did U.S. Secret Service "top brass" refuse to give a sniper named Jonathan Willis permission to shoot the would-be assassin at the July 13, 2024, Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania -- as an anonymous post on 4chan claimed? No, that's not true: A statement from the U.S. Secret Service Communications and Media Relations Office called this claim categorically false. The…

Did Secret Service personnel grin widely, showing their teeth, while escorting former President Trump to safety after the assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: A tool created to detect ai-generated images found substantial evidence the image had been remade with generative ai systems.…

After being wounded by a gunman at his campaign rally on July 13, 2024, did Donald Trump fly to Denver, Colorado, to watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout along with UFC President Dana White? No, that's not true: White posted to social media that he was flying to Europe at the time of the incident. When the rumor started to…

Do a photo and video circulating online show Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by the FBI as the man who shot at Donald Trump on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: the photo and video appear to have originated on the X account of a user with the handle 'jewgazing'. He apparently posted the photo and video after others made…

Was comedian Sam Hyde identified as the man who shot at Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The comedian is routinely blamed for being the perpetrator of shootings or other violent incidents as part of a bizarre internet in-joke. The FBI has identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park in…

Does a photo taken immediately after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Donald Trump show a dark circular bullet hole in the chest of his suit coat? No, that's not true: The dark spot is not a hole in Trump's suit but a wrinkle in someone else's. The original photo by an Associated Press photographer shows several Secret Service…

Did the Butler, Pennsylvania, Police Department say the gunman who shot Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, was arrested at the scene and has been identified as Mark Violets? No, that's not true: Butler Police Chief Bob O'Neill told Lead Stories that their department made no such confirmation. Additionally, he said, "The Secret Service is issuing all press related material."…

Does the conservative "Project 2025" initiative to reshape the U.S. government call for a ban on abortion and contraceptives, increased retirement age, cuts in Social Security and Medicare benefits, plus elimination of overtime pay and of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found these claims, posted on Facebook, to be false by reviewing the…

Was a military-like zone with fences set up last minute where President Joe Biden was scheduled to give his press conference on July 11, 2024? No, that's not true: A video on social media shows fences around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center that were previously set up for security for the 2024 NATO Summit. The Metropolitan Police Department in…

Did President Joe Biden call NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg an "intellectual wigger" at the NATO summit in Washington in July 2024? No, that's not true: Listening to recordings confirms the official transcript of the president's remarks at the summit, in which Biden said "intellectual rigor," not "intellectual wigger." No credible evidence or verified report supports this claim. The claim appeared…

Does an image of French politician Marine Le Pen show her crying after her party lost the second round of July 2024 French elections? No, that's not true: The image is a still from a 2017 video from French radio network Europe 1 that captured her laughing so hard she started crying. Translated, the video's title read: "When Marine Le…

Did BBC News make a meme from an "inaudible" quote by Joe Biden? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support the claim that BBC News created such a meme. It appears to be a mashup that riffs on White House transcripts, which insert "(Inaudible)" when microphones don't capture clear speech, and on a line from a Biden-Harris…

Does a video on social media show a crowd waving more Palestinian flags than French flags and celebrating victory for the political left in July 2024 French elections? No, that's not true: The video posted to "prove" the claim was shot during a pro-Palestinian march a month prior to the July 2024 French elections. A French news outlet's article confirmed…