On a night when the focus was on safety and unity at the Republican convention, a number of GOP leaders also offered up some misleading and false claims we have seen before.
Second Night of the GOP Convention
FactChecking Biden’s NBC News Interview
In an interview two days after an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden drew contrasts between himself, his Republican challenger, and Trump’s newly selected vice presidential running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. We found that Biden made some claims that were misleading, exaggerated or out of context.
Misinformation Swirls About Trump Rally Shooter’s Identity
In the days following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, social media swirled with misinformation about the shooter. The 20-year-old gunman was a registered Republican and there is no evidence he had a criminal record, contrary to popular claims online.
Republican National Convention, Opening Night
We fact-checked the first night’s speeches, which mainly focused on economic issues.
False Claim About Fake Secret Service Agent Contributes to Rally Conspiracy Theories
Posts from the anonymous online forum 4Chan have been spreading the false claim that Secret Service officials prevented an agent named “Jonathan Willis” from shooting former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassin. The Secret Service has no employee by that name, and the claim is “categorically false,” the agency said.
Posts Use Altered Image of Secret Service Agents Following Trump Shooting
The actions of the Secret Service at the Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt are under review. But social media posts show an altered photo to falsely claim agents were smiling while moving Trump to safety. The original Associated Press photo shows the agents weren’t smiling.
Biden’s NATO Press Conference
In a press conference in which President Joe Biden was repeatedly asked about whether he would — or should — stay in the presidential race, Biden made a few remarks that were misleading or could use more context.
FactCheck.org Wins Fourth Sigma Delta Chi Award
FactCheck.org has won the 2023 Sigma Delta Chi award for fact-checking from the Society of Professional Journalists. This is our third win in the fact-checking category and our fourth award from SPJ overall.
Tucker Carlson Post Makes Unsupported Claim About Trump Jurors
The judge in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump denied a defense request to ask jurors about their party registration, so their political affiliation is not known. But conservative commentator Tucker Carlson made the unsupported claim in a Facebook post that the jury was “stacked with Biden voters.” Both sides had the opportunity to reject jurors.
Posts Misrepresent Photo of RFK Jr. With Animal Carcass in Vanity Fair
A photo of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely shows him holding the carcass of a goat, lamb or other ruminant animal in Patagonia. Social media posts, citing a Vanity Fair article, make the unsupported claim the photo shows a dog carcass in South Korea. The magazine deleted remarks by a veterinarian who said it was a dog.