Presidential Debate

Does Joe Biden support the Green New Deal? No, he has specifically said he does not. Although his campaign website describes the Green New Deal as a "crucial framework," the Democratic presidential candidate supports something he calls the "Biden Plan," which does not include many of the deadlines and provisions of the Green New Deal. The claim appeared in a…

Did Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden say if he is elected president, he will lock down the country until a vaccine is ready and everyone is vaccinated? No, that's not true: It's a fake quote. Although Biden has said he would listen to the scientists' recommendations when it comes to responding to COVID-19, which could include shutting down the country…

Did Kamala Harris withhold evidence on two Black men who were on death row, then release the evidence after they were executed? No, that's not true. And did Harris, former attorney general of California, jail over 1,500 Black men for possession of weed? That's not true, either. There is no evidence to substantiate either claim. The claims appeared as a…

Was Kamala Harris California's "TOP COP" in 2010, making her responsible for the state's Black incarceration rate that year? No, that's not true: Harris served as attorney general of California between January 2011 and January 2017. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) by U.S. President Donald Trump. It was published on October 7, 2020, the day of the…

Did Joe Biden tweet that he got Instagram to take down the page that falsely posted that Biden wore a special earpiece during the first presidential debate with Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Biden never tweeted the claim. The page @electionleaks is still up, even though the video post claiming Biden used an earpiece has been flagged as false.…

Is this a photo of Nancy Pelosi, George Stephanopoulos and Chirs Wallace? Yes, it was taken on February 5, 2019, as Speaker Pelosi met with the network television anchors just before President Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address. It was a media availability that is routine ahead of such events. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…

Does a photo in a social meme show Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein together? No, that's not true: The implication is that Wallace, who is the target of social media attacks after he moderated the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, visited Epstein's private island. This is a photo…

Do images from the September 29, 2020, presidential debate show that Joe Biden was wearing a communications device, perhaps to receive tips on what to say? No, that is not true. Social media posts are making this claim after a rosary, worn by Biden around his wrist in remembrance of his son, was seen poking from his sleeve -- and…

Did Joe Biden say, "if you're going to vote, vote early and vote often"? No, that's not true: During the first 2020 presidential debate, the Democratic nominee encouraged Americans to vote, but he did not use that phrase, which is a well-worn quote that's been around for decades, if not longer. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Do photos show President Donald Trump with a "neural stimulator device" on his scalp under his hair? No, there's no evidence that's true: Even assuming the photographs are real, which we don't, the images are not suggestive of such a device, a neural device expert told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a post (archived here), published on Facebook on…