Joe Biden

Does the closure of airspace in North Carolina for the visits of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris halt the Hurricane Helene rescue missions? No, that's not true: A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson told Lead Stories that pilots involved in "aid and assistance" for hurricane recovery can fly through restricted areas if they plan the flight with air…

Did Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee refuse to ask President Joe Biden and the federal government for help after Hurricane Helene? No, that's not true: The governor requested an emergency declaration on September 27, 2024. It was approved the next day, which opened up federal aid. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on…

Did Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman say he'd be voting for Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Fetterman was answering an interviewer's question about why Pennsylvanians who vote for him -- a Democrat -- might also vote for Trump. He used the first person when explaining these voters' mindset, but was not talking about himself. The claim appeared in a post…

Did President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris skip a visit to the Shanksville, Pennsylvania, memorial on September 11, 2024? No, that's not true: Both paid their respects at the memorial to 9/11 victims approximately two hours before former President Donald Trump arrived for a similar visit. They also visited the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department. The implied claim that…

Did American golfer Tiger Woods refer to Kamala Harris' manner of speech as a "fake black accent," calling it "embarrassing and extremely offensive"? No, that's not true: The online rumor was first published by a self-labeled parody and satire account. Lead Stories found no confirmation that Woods ever said that. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X,…

Did President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris decline to attend a memorial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in August 2024 for the 13 U.S. military service members who were killed in Afghanistan three years earlier? No, that's not true: There's no evidence either one of them was asked to attend the public wreath-laying ceremony on August 26, 2024.…

Does the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign support a 25 percent tax on unrealized capital gains? Yes, but that's missing context: The tax would apply only to Americans with more than $100 million in wealth. The Harris/Walz campaign endorsed the Biden budget for 2025, which included the 25 percent tax on unrealized gains. Government documents state that the tax would only…

Was Donald Trump caught on tape during a Fox News commercial break, saying that someone who is called into war is a "dumbfuck redneck" and that volunteering for military service is "stupid"? No, that's not true: This recording is fake -- it originated from a parody account. It appears that a human voice actor impersonated Donald Trump in this recording,…

Does an authentic photo show supporters of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris holding signs that read "Give up your guns" and "Abolish the 2A," as a post on X says? No, that's not true: This photo was digitally altered to change the message on the signs. The original, unedited version of the photo was first published in November 2020 with…

Was Vice President Kamala Harris "too intoxicated to stand up" at the Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: Harris was receiving applause at the moment in question and was not expected to stand. She was seen standing several times during the first night of the convention. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on August 19,…