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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Meme Distorts AOC’s Election Vote Count

Meme Distorts AOC’s Election Vote Count

A misleading meme states that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received “about 16,000 votes” while running for office in 2018. She won her seat with 110,318 votes in the general election. She received 16,898 votes in the district’s Democratic primary.

Comparing Benefits for Refugees and Senior Citizens

Comparing Benefits for Refugees and Senior Citizens

A popular meme falsely claims that each month refugees in the United States receive over three times more money in “federal assistance” than Social Security beneficiaries. That’s a new version of an old claim we debunked over a decade ago.

Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protesters Didn’t Pass

Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protesters Didn’t Pass

A viral post falsely asserts that Republicans are responsible for “passing laws making it legal to run over protesters with your car.” That distorts proposed, but not enacted, legislation in several states offering some protections for drivers who unintentionally injure demonstrators blocking streets.

Fake AOC Quotes Keep on Trucking

Fake AOC Quotes Keep on Trucking

Another fake quote attributed to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is circulating online. She didn’t say that “truck drivers are destroying America”; that quote came from a website that describes its content as satire.

Citizenship, the Census and Obama

Citizenship, the Census and Obama

Memes circulating online claim that former President Barack Obama removed the citizenship question from the 2010 census. He didn’t. The citizenship question in 2010 was handled the same way it had been since 1970. 

A False Claim About H.R. 8 and a ‘Firearms Registry’

A False Claim About H.R. 8 and a ‘Firearms Registry’

A viral meme falsely accuses five House Republicans of voting with Democrats to create a “firearms registry.” The bill in question specifically prohibits “the establishment, directly or indirectly, of a national firearms registry.”

Trump Retweets Made-up Reagan Quote

Trump Retweets Made-up Reagan Quote

There’s no evidence President Ronald Reagan predicted Donald Trump would be president, as a meme shared by Trump falsely claims.

Bogus Stats Distort Democratic Debates

Bogus Stats Distort Democratic Debates

Posts on social media wildly exaggerate the number of times President Donald Trump’s name and the word “free” were used during the first 2020 Democratic presidential debates.