Presidential Debate

Did Kamala Harris call Joe Biden a racist and a rapist? No, that's not true: There's no record nor any other evidence that she's used either word to describe the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The claim appeared as a meme (archived here) on Facebook on August 13, 2020. With text over a picture of Harris, it read: I just accepted…

Does former Vice President Joe Biden propose a ban on fracking? No, that's not true: Biden's presidential campaign has said he does not support a ban on fracking by the oil and natural gas industry, although the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee does wants to ban all new oil and gas permits -- including those for new fracking -- on federal…

Is the COVID-19 pandemic a conspiracy manufactured by "Deep State Democrats" and the "mass media" to disrupt, even rig, the upcoming presidential election in a bid to topple Donald Trump? And did the coronavirus provide the perfect cover for the mass racial justice protests since the death of George Floyd after being knelt on for nearly nine minutes by a…

Did a legal settlement between Judicial Watch and California election officials prove that one million illegal votes were cast in the 2018 elections in California? No, that's not true: The settlement agreement in Judicial Watch's latest California voter registration case did not confirm one million illegal votes were cast and Judicial Watch never claimed it did. California's Secretary of State…

Is Microsoft founder Bill Gates conspiring with the Vatican to try to depopulate the world with a new vaccine for the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The video misinterprets a soundbite from Gates' TED Talk to try to make a point about vaccines. It later launches into an anti-Catholic screed. The claim originated in a post published by Saving…

Did Joe Biden, a U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, spar with a Michigan autoworker over the issue of gun control? Yes, that's true, and here's some context: Biden and the man, Jerry Wayne, did exchange words at a Detroit, Michigan, auto plant on March 10, 2020. Biden was campaigning ahead of the critical Michigan primary, which he decisively won later that…

Did Bernie Sanders tell an audience that he thinks "black people smell"? No, that's not true: A video of Sanders on a local cable access show when he was mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in the 1980s includes the future senator and presidential candidate talking to an audience about the history of racial stereotypes. His comments have been re-edited and taken…

Did Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders say he wants to raise taxes to 52 percent on anybody making over $29,000 a year during this week's fiery Democratic debate in Nevada? No, that's not true: it is fake news being spread over social media, and the avowed Democratic socialist has only said he wants a 52 percent tax on income over…

Did Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg say that all elderly people should be denied care past a certain age when they become ill? No, that's not true: The website circulating the claims pulled only a snippet of the former New York City mayor's comments from 2011. His remarks were taken out of context, and the site expands the claim to…

Did former President Obama award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed on an American civilian, to Harvey Weinstein, the famous producer on trial for sex crimes against scores of women? No, that's not true: The image on Facebook is an altered image, playing off the moment when Obama suprised former Vice President and current presidential candidate Joe…