Politics

Did McDonald's stock climb 200 percent after Donald Trump made a campaign appearance at one of its franchises? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that regularly publishes fake stories, and the original article was clearly labeled as "satire." McDonald's shares actually dropped after Trump visited one of its restaurants. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did Elon Musk permanently ban author Stephen King from X after King called Musk "the First Lady"? No, that's not true: King posted on his own X account that neither the "first lady" reference nor the ban happened. King added "Yet here I am." A Google News search did not find any news articles about Musk banning King's account. The…

Did Meghan Markle say she would leave the U.S. in response to Donald Trump's election, as a post on Facebook implies? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could not find proof that the wife of Prince Harry said that. Commentators have only speculated on the possibility that she might want to leave the U.S. following Trump's election. The claim appeared…

Will the White House address appear on "the national registry of sex offenders" once President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January of 2025? No, that's not true: Trump was not convicted of a sex offense in a criminal case. He was found liable in a civil case that involved sexual abuse allegations. Only people who have been convicted in a…

Did a viral image of Taylor Swift capture her crying "on live television the moment the race was called for President Trump" in November 2024? No, that's not true: The picture was a screenshot of a Swift interview aired 12 years earlier. In it, Swift was reacting to questions about her personal life, not politics. The claim appeared in a…

Did the Kamala Harris campaign say it could overturn Donald Trump's election victory with a recount? No, that's not true: There is no evidence of any such statement from the Harris campaign, nor evidence of any campaign staff making such a statement. Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump the day after he won a majority of both the…

Did Beyoncé declare she would no longer perform in "red states," meaning states that went for President-elect Donald Trump? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that publishes fake stories about famous people. The site describes itself as satire, and the original article was clearly labeled as satire. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook…

Did President-elect Donald Trump post on Truth Social that he had "started his day by listening to 'Not Like Us' by Kendrick Lamar"? No, that's not true: Such a post could not be found on Trump's Truth Social profile. The image of the fake post originated from parody creator Daily Noud. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on…

Did Elon Musk's satellite-based high-speed internet system Starlink play any role in counting or uploading votes in the U.S. election that could have allowed for potential vote manipulation or cheating? No, that's not true: Election security experts told Lead Stories that there's no evidence of vote tampering involving Starlink. U.S. voting systems are managed by county and state offices on…

Did NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte publicly say that "if Trump surrenders Ukraine to Putin, he will personally expel the United States from the alliance"? No, that's not true: A NATO spokesperson described the claim as "bogus." The rumor was promoted by a Russian propaganda website and anonymous pro-Kremlin Telegram channels. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X…

Does a video authentically show Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland swaying oddly on a podium? No, that's not true: A video splices together parts of a press conference video where Freeland pauses to allow journalists to ask questions. A "warp effect" has been added to exaggerate Freeland's facial expressions and body movements as she reacts to reporters. The claim…

Does a viral image portray Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton together "after the election results" in 2024? No, that's not true: The image was online before that. Harris' and Clinton's outfits in the picture match what they wore for the November 3, 2022, event in New York where they both campaigned for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The claim appeared…

Did Elon Musk buy CNN in November 2024? No, that's not true: A CNN spokesperson told Lead Stories "there is no truth in rumors of a sale or change in ownership of CNN whatsoever." The assertion was made by Argentinian President Javier Milei and was picked up by Argentinian news outlets, but he offered no proof of such a sale.…

Did the president of Mexico say she won't recognize Donald Trump as president as of November 7, 2024? No, that's not true: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did acknowledge Trump's victory on her official X account on November 6, 2024. She said, "my most sincere congratulations to Donald Trump, who won the presidential election of the United States of America." The…

Were there 15 million, 18 million or even 20 million fewer votes in 2024 versus the election numbers from 2020, disproving reports of record turnout or implying cheating in vote totals? No, that's not true: As of November 7, 2024, final vote numbers had not been reported in any state. An election expert told Lead Stories that count would take…

Were over 2,000 suicides officially reported in the U.S. the day after the 2024 U.S. presidential election? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no reports confirming that number. The figure widely shared online is more consistent with average global statistics over the years and is roughly 15 times higher than historic numbers for the U.S. -- but as of…

Can people in the state of Washington vote using a fake name by using a website set up for visually impaired voters to print out a ballot and sending it in? No, that's not true: Registered voters with impaired vision in King County, Washington, can mark and print their ballots from their home computer. Other counties in the state allow…

Did President-elect Donald Trump release a statement saying "I look forward to ... enact[ing] Project 2025"? No, that's not true: An image showing such a statement that went viral on social media was fabricated. Lead Stories searched Trump statements released on November 6, 2024, the same day as the date on the purported statement, and could not find this quote…

Did Hamas announce that it was ending its role in the conflict with Israel in response to Donald Trump's election win, as implied in a social media post? No, that's not true: In the Newsweek article included in the post, a Hamas spokesperson called for "an immediate cessation of the aggression against our people, especially in Gaza" by Israel. Hamas…

Did CNN publish an article saying more than 75,000 voters wrote in "Hawk Tuah" or "Talk Tuah" on their ballot papers? No, that's not true: Searches of the cnn.com website turned up no headlines containing the vulgar "Hawk Tuah" expression. A CNN representative also confirmed to Lead Stories that the image in a social media post was a fake. The…