2024 Presidential Election

Did Canada ban President-elect Donald Trump from entering the country as of November 2024 because of his felony conviction? No, that's not true: A person is only declared inadmissible when they try to cross into the country, and no credible source reported that Trump tried to enter Canada before Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited him in Florida. Contrary to…

Did Wendy's, Olive Garden and 13 other restaurant companies named in a social media post donate to Donald Trump in the 2024 election? No, that's not true: None of the political action committees for the restaurants listed in the social media post donated to Trump in the 2024 election, according to federal election reports publicly available as of this writing.…

Did Walmart donate $3.5 million to President-elect Donald Trump and Republican campaigns while giving nothing to Democrats ahead of the 2024 election? No, that's not true: Walmart's political donations come from an employee-funded political action committee, not the Walmart corporation. Public records show that while this committee supports both Republican and Democratic candidates, it didn't donate to either major party's…

Did actor Tom Hanks withdraw his 2025 Oscar nominations and leave the United States, saying "I've had enough" in an Instagram video? No, that's not true: This story comes from a self-described satirical website whose About Us page announces it is "dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity." Lead Stories found no sign in…

Did Disney say it was adding Kamala Harris to its Hall of Presidents? No, that's not true: The story originated from self-described satire and parody website Mouse Trap News, which says on its site, "We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff." Lead Stories could not locate any credible evidence of Disney having made such an announcement. The claim appeared…

Did an authentic video show Rachel Maddow crying on air in November 2024 over an Elon Musk meme concerning ownership of MSNBC? No, that's not true: The clip was taken from a June 20, 2018 MSNBC broadcast. Maddow had become emotional while reading a report about babies and young children sent to immigration shelters in South Texas. The claim appeared…

Did singer-songwriter John Legend state on social media that he was leaving the United States for France as a result of the 2024 U.S. presidential election? No, that's not true: Searches of his social media did not return such a statement. A search on Google News did not show any reports that Legend had left the country because of the…

Did late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel say he was ending his show on January 20, 2025, and moving to Canada? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that labels itself satire. An online search turned up no evidence that Kimmel had ever said such a thing. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on November…

Did Taylor Swift announce she will move to Canada in response to the 2024 U.S. presidential election results, saying "Goodbye US, I Love Canada"? No, that's not true: The post supplied no evidence she made any such public statement. Independent searches found no credible news media outlets have reported this as of November 22, 2024. The claim was posted to…

Did Billie Eilish turn down an Oscar nomination and announce she plans to leave the U.S. after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election? No, that's not true: The rumor originated in an obscure blog that didn't cite a single source and didn't disclose its ownership. No credible journalistic organization reported such an event. The claim appeared in a…