Presidential Debate

Did ABC compile a post-debate poll showing that 92 percent of respondents believed Donald Trump "won" the September 10, 2024, presidential debate? No, that's not true: A representative for ABC told Lead Stories the ABC labeling on what appeared to be a post-debate poll was "not true." Lead Stories could not find the poll on foxnews.com, but the "poll" had…

Did Kamala Harris say she would shut down X if elected, as posts on social media claimed based on a video where she said "He has lost his privileges"? No, that's not true: The video clip on social media is from an interview she did with CNN in 2019. A transcript of her remarks shows her comments were about Trump…

Does a video show Kamala Harris saying Elon Musk "has lost his privileges" to speak freely? No, that's not true: Harris was speaking in 2019 about Donald Trump's posts on Twitter, according to a CNN transcript and video. She was discussing her call for Trump to be suspended from Twitter at the time. Harris did not mention Musk. The claim…

Did American country folk singer Oliver Anthony file a cease-and-desist order against Tim Walz for using one of Anthony's songs? No, that's not true: This story first appeared on a Facebook page that says it is all about satire and parodies. Its website has a disclaimer that says "Nothing on this page is real" and a Google search brought up…

Did Taylor Swift endorse Donald Trump in August 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Swift said she wanted people to vote for Trump in the 2024 presidential election campaign. The image of Swift as Uncle Sam with the phrase "TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP" appears to be AI generated. Swift endorsed Joe Biden…

Did The Associated Press fact check a story that said Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz had his stomach pumped because he consumed "a gallon of ... semen" from a horse or a human? No, that's not true: AP's media relations manager denied that the outlet fact checked the claim. Lead Stories could not find any evidence that Walz has…

Did former President Donald Trump state that he won't debate Vice President Kamala Harris in a presidential candidate debate? No, that's not true: Trump said the opposite, that he wants to debate Harris. Harris is the presumptive 2024 Democratic nominee for president. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on July 23, 2024. The post's caption read:…

Did BBC News make a meme from an "inaudible" quote by Joe Biden? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support the claim that BBC News created such a meme. It appears to be a mashup that riffs on White House transcripts, which insert "(Inaudible)" when microphones don't capture clear speech, and on a line from a Biden-Harris…

Did President Joe Biden err in saying "end of quote" in his remarks after the Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity on July 1, 2024, as some social media posts implied? No, that's not true: There are many ways of signifying a quote in spoken language, including the use of "quote-unquote" or "quote-end of quote" to set off the quoted…

While discussing a flash poll after CNN's June 27, 2024, presidential debate, did CNN Political Director David Chalian use a name for former first lady Michelle Obama that implied she is a transgender male? No, that's not true: Chalian did not call Michelle Obama "Big Mike." The 31-second-long video clip used to make this claim includes AI-generated fake audio. While…