Politics

Does this image show a letter with a drawing described in the Wall Street Journal as being made by President Donald Trump for Jeffrey Epstein's birthday? No, that's not true: The image was published by an account on X that described it as an "artist's recreation". The Journal's original article did not contain a depiction of the image and none…

Was a viral picture of Donald Trump kissing a young female model authentic? No, that's not true: A comparison with the original photos from a Guardian article shows that the image was digitally manufactured. The details of the background and the outfit of another woman present in the frame didn't match authentic stills. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Donald Trump post on Truth Social that he was never on Jeffrey Epstein's plane or his "stupid" Island? Yes, that's true: Trump's Truth Social timeline still displays the message shared on January 9, 2024. Some X users insisted Trump never made the statement, including the author of a proposed community note. The true claim that Trump posted the message…

Did a widely-shared video authentically show a real Uber driver attempting to extort $1,000 from an immigrant passenger and threatening to report him to ICE? No, that's not true: The people in the video were simply acting out a scene. The account that posted the sketch routinely publishes what it describes as "scripted content". The sketch appeared in an April…

Were Rep. Nancy Pelosi's granddaughters arrested trying to smuggle narcotics into the United States? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. A search of news archives showed that the rumor was not even inadvertently accurate. The claim appeared in a July 16, 2025, post on Facebook (archived here), which contained a photo…

Did former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton congratulate Irish martial arts fighter Conor McGregor on his birthday by addressing him as "this future president" in 2025? No, that's not true: Clinton's account didn't display such a post. The fake was built on a 2016 Clinton tweet in which she referred to herself, not McGregor,…

Did a video show U.S. President Donald Trump stealing the winner's medal of a player after the football Club World Cup Final in July 2025? No, that's not true: The medal in Trump's hands was earlier given to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. A widely-shared clip was edited to cut out the moment when the president received the medal…

Does a video show a man who tried to disguise himself as a little girl being detained by ICE and offered a cheeseburger? No, that's not true: The post making the claim offered no context about the origins of the video, but Lead Stories identified the person seen eating a cheeseburger. She is the daughter of an Instagram influencer in…

Does a viral video on social media show Gazans who are fleeing Palestine arriving in Sweden? No, that's not true: The Ruahel Charity Association soccer team shown in the video represents various cities in the West Bank, not Gaza. The video shows players and coaches on a plane as part of a multi-city tour of Europe in July and August…

Did Hugh Hefner say that Donald Trump was not allowed in the Playboy mansion after he found out he was a 'pedophilie'? No, that's not true: There is no published record of Hefner saying he considered Trump to be a pedophile, or that he had been banned by his Los Angeles mansion. Trump did visit the mansion as recently as…

Did FIFA President Gianni Infantino attack U.S. President Donald Trump over his role in the football Club World Cup Final trophy presentation, saying he "stole the glory that belongs to us"? No, that's not true: A widely-shared video contained fake audio of Infantino's voice. We found no corroboration for the claim that Infantino had lashed out at Trump. The claim…

Did Chelsea FC photoshop President Trump out of their official trophy raising photo after the FIFA Club World Cup final? No, that's not true: A viral image that was digitally edited to remove Trump from the scene did not appear on the soccer club's official social media accounts. The image they actually posted does show Trump in the background. The…

Does a viral video show Piera Mosque in Barcelona, Spain on fire? No, that's not true: The viral footage with a caption about Spaniards burning "Piera Mosque" in that city actually shows a fire in Indonesia. That fire happened in Jakarta in 2022 during a renovation mishap. A fire did take place in a mosque in Piera on July 14,…

Did a Mexican search and rescue team sent to the scene of the July 2025 flooding in Kerr County, Texas rescue a sheriff's daughter, as social media posts claim? No, that's not true: Although Mexican rescue crews were in fact sent to help when Independence Day rain caused flash flooding along the Guadalupe River, there is no publicly available documentation…

Did ICE arrest Mexican nationals who helped flood recovery efforts, and did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott say "I support ICE deporting the Mexicans who helped during the floods"? No, that's not true: A viral TikTok video contained a fabricated story about ICE "aiming weapons" at the rescuers and "loading them into vans". A clip of Abbott contained fake audio and…

Does a viral photo authentically show Beyonce wearing a tank top with a Star of David while having an Israeli flag draped over her arms? No, that's not true: The image has been digitally manipulated based on an older original. The original picture shows no such tank top and shows red, white and blue tassels hanging from the singer's arms.…

Is a viral video a real news report about a "Sheriff Larry Leda" saying he'd apply for a green card for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family? No, that's not true: The footage in the viral video came from a press conference during which the phrase "green card" was not said and the caption in the video spelled…

Did President Donald Trump post on his Truth Social account that he was "giving serious consideration to taking away" Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship? Yes, that's true: The message appeared on Trump's Truth Social account at approximately 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, July 12, 2025. The post was still visible at the time of writing, about two hours later. The president…

Did FBI Director Kash Patel declassify records detailing Hillary Clinton's and Vladimir Putin's ties to the 'James Comey Scandal'? No, that's not true: The viral rumor originated from a comedian's page. Neither the FBI nor credible media organizations said anything about the purported "trove" of "intelligence documents". The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on July…

Did a widely-shared video authentically show Liberian President Joseph Boakai attacking the "racially prejudiced attitude" of his American counterpart Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The video included fake audio, likely the product of AI. The underlying footage of Boakai was in fact recorded in 2017. The video appeared in a July 10, 2025, post on TikTok (archived here) with…