Barack Obama

Did NBC News say that former President Barack Obama, who left the White House in January 2017, was serving a "third term" in 2023 as a shadow president? No, that's not true: NBC did not report that. Its news article only referred to claims about Obama "somehow secretly still in power" as an example of election-related misinformation, emphasizing that such…

Did University of Pennsylvania students chant, "We want Jewish genocide!" at a pro-Palestine rally in Philadelphia? No, that's not true: The chant was, "Israel, Israel, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide." The student group posted a clarification on Instagram after their chant was misrepresented. The claim appeared in a post on Instagram published by @jewishlivesmatter on October 17,…

Did former president and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump publish a social media post that confused President Joe Biden with former president Barack Obama in the 2024 election? No, that's not true: A screenshot that claims to show such a post cannot be found on Trump's Truth Social account page. The alleged post is likely a parody of previous statements…

Are the tweets between Michelle Obama and Donald Trump about "destroying the country" and inviting "Mike" to play basketball real? No, that's not true: No such tweets from the former first lady's official account nor the former president's were published on August 30, 2019. The messages currently do not show up on the accounts, nor do they show up on…

Did Sen. John Kennedy read aloud during a Senate hearing sexually explicit text messages former President Barack Obama sent to Larry Sinclair? No, that's not true: The video is authentic, but mislabeled. The Louisiana Republican was reading gay sex scenes from two books during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing regarding banning books from libraries. The claim appeared with a video…

Do former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama own an estate in Maui, Hawaii, and was that supposed Maui estate "spared from the fires" that affected Maui in early August 2023? No, that's not true: The Obamas do not own an estate in Maui, where the fires primarily spread. Rather, they are reportedly developing a property in Oahu,…

Was the Obamas' personal chef writing a tell-all book before his "mysterious death"? No, that's not true: There is no proof shown in a video making the claim that Tafari Campbell was writing a book about the former president and first lady at the time of his death near their Martha's Vineyard home. The video purports to be from "Inside…

Did Bloomberg publish a story saying that former President Barack Obama was a "middle man" for the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein at J.P. Morgan? Did Obama help the disgraced financier to foster ties with the banking institution? No, that's not true: Bloomberg did not write anything remotely similar in August 2023. The claim on social media distorted a Bloomberg…

Was Hawaii "never really made a state" as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: Hawaii officially became a U.S. state on August 21, 1959. This happened after the U.S. Congress passed the Hawaii Admission Act and most people in Hawaii voted for the territory to become a state. The claim appeared in a post on Instagram by…

Did Tafari Campbell, the Obamas' personal chef, suffer "blunt force trauma" prior to his July 2023 drowning death? No, that's not true: The Massachusetts State Police told Lead Stories that there were "no external trauma or injuries" observed in Campbell after his body was found in Edgartown Great Pond near former President Barack Obama's home on Martha's Vineyard. The claim…