Rem Rieder — an editor at the Washington Post, Miami Herald, American Journalism Review and USA TODAY — looks back at his year of fact-checking in the age of Donald Trump.
Checking the Facts in the World of Trump
Stories by Rem Rieder
Former Senior Writer/Editor at Large, FactCheck.org
The Facts on Trump’s Post-Election Legal Challenges
For this story, we ignore the tweets and press conferences and look at what the president’s lawyers have been saying in court. Two things stick out: a lack of evidence of voter fraud and a long string of legal defeats and setbacks.
Rand Paul Baselessly Says Only Anti-Trump Protesters Arrested at MAGA March
Sen. Rand Paul claimed without evidence that only counterprotesters were arrested at the Million MAGA March and its tumultuous aftermath, and that they were solely responsible for the outbreaks of violence there.
Trump Tweets Conspiracy Theory About Deleted Votes
In a tweet, President Donald Trump on Nov. 12 pushed the baseless theory that voting systems deleted millions of votes for him and switched thousands of votes cast for him to his Democratic rival, President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump’s Wild, Baseless Claims of Illegal Voting
In remarks resembling an attack on democratic elections, rather than a presidential speech, President Donald Trump doubled down on his campaign pledge: “The only way we can lose, in my opinion, is massive fraud.”
Trump Tweets Flagged by Twitter for Misinformation
In the two days after Election Day, Twitter has added warning labels to nine of President Trump’s election-related tweets, cautioning the messages “might be misleading.” They are misleading, and in some cases, false.
Trump Misleadingly Claims That Ballot Count Was ‘Called Off’
President Trump misleadingly said early in the morning after Election Day that ballot counting in states where he was leading had been “called off,” baselessly suggesting there was something suspicious happening.
Closing Arguments of the Presidential Campaign
We fact-check claims the candidates made in rallies and TV ads in the days before Election Day.
A Guide to the Candidates’ Claims
This is a guide to key stories we did during the 2020 election between Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.
False Claim About ‘Pre-Filled Out Ballots’ in Queens
A false claim circulating on social media alleges that mail-in ballots already filled out with votes for Democrats, including Joe Biden, were sent to voters in a New York City borough. A spokesperson for the New York City Board of Elections told us the ballot that triggered the allegation was the result of a voter’s error.