Obama

Did DOGE discover that the General Services Administration has been paying Michelle Obama $122,000 per month since 2009? No, that's not true: The story originated on a website named "The Dunning-Kruger Times" which has a clear disclaimer it publishes satire. It is run by a man who runs a network of sites and Facebook pages designed to trick conservatives into…

Did President Donald Trump's adviser Alina Habba discover a hidden "fake Oval Office" used by former President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: There is nothing secret or hidden about the constructed Oval Office set. It is the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower building and has been used by multiple presidents, including Trump. Habba implied she discovered the "fake…

Did Donald Trump post a tweet on November 6, 2012, that read, "If the Dow drops 1,000 points in two days the President should be impeached immediately!"? No, that's not true: This is a fake tweet that was manufactured in 2018, years after it was purportedly first posted. There is no record of the original tweet on Donald Trump's Twitter…

Did the U.S. Justice Department just release the 1998-2004 flight logs for Jeffrey Epstein's Boeing 727? No, that's not true: We've had then since early 2015 and have embedded copies of the flight logs in several Lead Stories fact checks. This reporter investigated allegations of Epstein's abuse of young females as a national correspondent for American Media Inc. in January…

Did DOGE halt a $2.6 million annual payment to former President Obama for "Obamacare" royalties? No, that's not true: The story originated in a meme from a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The meme appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on February 25, 2025.…

Did Sheriff Joe Arpaio hold a press conference on Barack Obama's birth certificate in February 2025? No, that's not true: The posted footage of the press conference held by the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona is from 2016, not 2025 as is implied by a post on social media. The press conference was documented by local media in 2016.…

Did Reuters and Politico receive government funding during the Biden administration but not the Trump administration? No, that's not true: Thomson Reuters, a separate company from Reuters News, and Politico both received federal payments under both administrations. Thomson Reuters provided "software and information services to U.S. government agencies," while Politico sold subscription services to government offices. The implied claim appeared…

Did Malia Obama say she "deserved every penny of the $2.3 million she got from USAID" and was this payment reported by a news website or public official? No, that's not true: The quote about the USAID payment originated on a satirical Facebook page with a clear disclaimer. The page owner is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing…

Does a collection of still images demonstrate that other politicians have made the same gesture as Elon Musk did at the closing of his speech at President Donald Trump's inauguration rally in 2025? No, that's not true: These photos do show real moments in time, and they are authentic -- but they do not capture the full context in which…

Would a proposed constitutional amendment by a Republican congressman meant to help President Donald Trump serve a third term also allow Barack Obama to be elected president again? No, that's not true: The proposal specifies that only presidents who have not served two consecutive presidential terms would be eligible to be elected for a third term. Obama was president for…