Obama

Is a photo that shows Melania Trump holding the President Jimmy Carter funeral program upside down authentic? No, that's not true: The image of President-elect Donald Trump's wife at the January 2025 funeral for Carter holding a program upside down is altered. Footage from the funeral by NBC, publicly available on the internet, shows that Melania Trump is holding the…

Did a draft continuing resolution or spending bill in late 2024 include a 40 percent salary increase for members of Congress? No, that's not true: The proposed December 2024 temporary funding package included a 3.8 percent pay raise, which would increase their annual salary from $174,000 to $180,600 if approved. Under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 Congress is allowed…

Does the fact that Michelle Obama stated she had used in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to get pregnant prove she is a trans woman? No, that's not true: For IVF to work, the person needs to have a uterus. Lead Stories did not find anything from reputable media outlets or other sources to show that Obama is anything other than…

Does a video show Barack Obama "committing abhorrent acts while high" as a social media post imples? No, that's not true: The post does not offer any evidence that the former president was caught on camera getting high or "committing abhorrent acts." The video linked in the post does not show Obama doing drugs of any kind or doing anything…

Was former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper recorded in a 2021 videotaped deposition saying that Vice President Mike Pence and several others conspired in an attempt to remove President Donald Trump from office? No, that's not true: The recording is actually of a different person, Ryan Dark White, a failed U.S. Senate candidate who also used the name Jon…

Were there 15 million, 18 million or even 20 million fewer votes in 2024 versus the election numbers from 2020, disproving reports of record turnout or implying cheating in vote totals? No, that's not true: As of November 7, 2024, final vote numbers had not been reported in any state. An election expert told Lead Stories that count would take…

Does a photo on social media show people crowding the street outside Madison Square Garden in New York in 2024 for a Trump rally? No, that's not true: Images from the street scene first appeared in 2011, showing people in Dublin lined up for an event attended by then-President Barack Obama. Actual photos from Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in…

Are Progress 2028 ads on Facebook authentic ads supporting Kamala Harris' presidential campaign? No, that's not true: These ads are not affiliated with the campaign or its supporters; instead, a conservative group paid for them to misrepresent her stance on controversial issues like gun buy-back programs and fracking. A Harris campaign aide told Lead Stories that Progress 2028's ads lie…

Does a video on social media show former President Barack Obama in a GITMO jail cell after being arrested in 2019? No, that's not true: It's authentic video, but it was taken in 2013 when Obama visited the jail cell where former South African president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years. There is no evidence that…

Does a video shared to X genuinely show attendees at the 2024 Democratic National Convention chanting "Death to America"? No, that's not true: The video on social media has added audio from a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland, California. An unedited video of former first lady Michelle Obama's speech, which is shown in the video on X, does…