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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump Won the Popular Vote, Contrary to Claims Online

Trump Won the Popular Vote, Contrary to Claims Online

President-elect Donald Trump is the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years. Social media users have wrongly claimed that Trump lost the popular vote, but they are confusing the popular vote with a majority of votes. The unofficial results show Trump received slightly less than a majority, but more votes than any candidate.

Viral Claim Falsely Suggests Trump Ended Violence in Gaza

Viral Claim Falsely Suggests Trump Ended Violence in Gaza

Attacks by Israeli forces and Hamas continue to kill or displace people in the Gaza Strip. But social media posts misleadingly claim Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election led Hamas to call for an end to the war in Gaza. Hamas has called for a ceasefire several times before the election. And the violence has continued since Election Day.

Post Misleadingly Questions Unfinished Ballot Counting in Some States

Post Misleadingly Questions Unfinished Ballot Counting in Some States

Some states were still counting ballots weeks after Election Day in accordance with their regulations, state officials and an election law expert said. But an Instagram post misleadingly implied that the ongoing vote counts were evidence of some unspecified election malfeasance.

Elon Musk Has Not Blocked Pride-Related Content from X, Contrary to Posts

Elon Musk Has Not Blocked Pride-Related Content from X, Contrary to Posts

X owner Elon Musk has rolled back policies intended to protect transgender people from harassment on his platform. But social media posts falsely claimed Pride-related content has now been “blocked on X permanently,” citing a purported “late-night announcement” by Musk. The claim originated on a satirical website.

Trump’s Agenda: Deportation

Trump’s Agenda: Deportation

On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly vowed to begin “the largest deportation program in American history.” How exactly he plans to carry that out, and how many he ultimately intends to deport, remains unclear.

Posts Falsely Question Barron Trump’s Citizenship Status

Posts Falsely Question Barron Trump’s Citizenship Status

President-elect Donald Trump has called for an interpretation of the 14th Amendment that would deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents in the country illegally. That has prompted some on social media to wrongly speculate that under such a policy, Trump’s son Barron might not be a U.S. citizen because his mother wasn’t a citizen when he was born in New York.

Trump’s Agenda: Tariffs

Trump’s Agenda: Tariffs

While campaigning for a second term in office, President-elect Donald Trump declared “tariff” to be his “favorite word” and “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” We’ll explain how tariffs work, what Trump has proposed and what experts say about it, and what happened during Trump’s first term.

Musk’s Starlink Was Not Connected to Vote Tabulation, Contrary to Online Claims

Musk’s Starlink Was Not Connected to Vote Tabulation, Contrary to Online Claims

Elon Musk’s Starlink system helped provide internet access to communities affected by the recent hurricanes. But online posts spread baseless claims that Starlink “uploaded votes in swing states” and helped Donald Trump win the election. Experts said voting machines are not connected to the internet during tabulation; one state election official called the claims “utter garbage.”

No Evidence Harris Campaign Paid for Celebrity Endorsements

No Evidence Harris Campaign Paid for Celebrity Endorsements

Vice President Kamala Harris received many celebrity endorsements leading up to the election, including from Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Eminem, Megan Thee Stallion and Lizzo. Social media posts have made the unfounded claim that these celebrities were collectively paid $20 million for their endorsements. We’ve found no evidence to support the claim.