2024 U.S. Elections

Did Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin say "we won't be certifying the election" if Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election? No, that's not true: Raskin posted on his verified X account that the quote was "fabricated." Lead Stories could not find any evidence that Raskin made this statement. His website did not have any links that corroborated the purported statement.…

Does an authentic video show Kamala Harris slurring her words during a campaign speech as if she were drunk? No, that's not true: The clip was altered and slowed down, giving the impression that the Democratic presidential nominee was speaking abnormally slowly. C-SPAN posted her original speech, at a rally in Philadelphia, which was at normal speed with no slurring.…

Does a video on social media show a Kentucky voting machine marking Kamala Harris for president when the voter tried to press Donald Trump, leaving them unable to vote for Trump? Yes, but that is missing context: The Kentucky Board of Elections' general counsel told Lead Stories in a statement that, after the video was filmed, the voter was able…

Was the Sheriff's Office in Gwinnett County, Georgia, told about a threat from white supremacists or Ku Klux Klan members against Black women up to the inauguration? No, that's not true: The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office issued a statement on their Facebook page that they "have not received any information indicating threats to any group(s) on or after election day."…

Did Fox News' "Hannity" guests react to Donald Trump's stumbling entry into a garbage truck with calls for cognitive testing and medical records? No, that's not true: "The Daily Show," which satirizes the news, created the footage. It took authentic clips from Fox News' "Hannity" show on February 4, 2017, where guests Dr. Ben Carson, Dr. Marc Siegel and Dr.…

Does a "dot" in the Kamala Harris box on a Kentucky ballot invalidate any other 2024 choice for U.S. president? No, that's not true: The Kentucky State Board of Elections' general counsel told Lead Stories that both the elections board and the Kentucky attorney general's office were not "aware of any complaints from Kentucky voters" about "pre-printed marks" next to…

Is there a "nationwide issue" affecting Dominion voting machines that is impacting people's ability to vote as they intend? No, that's not true: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson misspoke when she said that. According to a Dominion press release, Michigan is the only state experiencing such issues, specifically with Dominion Voting Assistance Terminals -- a device used by voters…

Does a video of a person with a skateboard show a "ballot mule caught on camera at a branch library in Lincoln, Nebraska? No, that's not true: Local election officials who reviewed surveillance footage of the location confirmed that the person was only returning his ballot to the library's ballot drop box. Both the account that is the focus of…

Does a video on social media show a Trump rally crowd in Salem, Virginia, in November 2024? No, that's not true: The original video is taken from pop-music singer-songwriter Chappell Roan's performance on October 6, 2024, at the Austin City Limits music festival in Texas, an event unrelated to Trump's presidential campaign rally in Virginia in November 2024. The audio…

Did basketball star Michael Jordan endorse Donald Trump for president? No, that's not true: Jordan's management told Lead Stories that there was "absolutely no truth" to this claim. At the time of writing, Jordan had endorsed neither Trump or Kamala Harris for president. The claim appeared in a post on X (archived here) on November 3, 2024. The caption read:…