Our annual roundup of the worst falsehoods of the year.
Whoppers of 2024
Issues: immigration
Posts Falsely Question Citizenship of Trump’s Children Under His Birthright Plan
President-elect Donald Trump has renewed his call to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. whose parents are not in the country legally. Online posts falsely claim this would strip four of Trump’s children of citizenship because of their mothers’ citizenship status when they were born.
FactChecking Trump’s ‘Meet the Press’ Interview
In his first post-election, sit-down broadcast interview, President-elect Donald Trump outlined his priorities for a second term. But in the interview, Trump continued to repeat inaccurate information related to immigration, crime, trade, health care and the election.
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
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.
Donald Trump’s Closing Arguments
In his third campaign for the nation’s top office, former President Donald Trump’s closing messages have run the gamut, touching on the economy, immigration, the military, crime, taxes and more. In lengthy speeches, he rattles off a stream of claims. We reviewed Trump’s remarks from Oct. 18 through Oct. 22.
Biden’s Numbers, 2024 Pre-Election Update
Our latest quarterly report on various statistical indicators comes less than three weeks before Election Day.
Unfounded Claims Target Springfield Officials, Haitian Immigrants
Springfield, Ohio, has been the target of misinformation about its Haitian immigrant population. Conservative commentators are now falsely claiming the mayor traveled to Haiti and he and other city officials received “kick-backs” for “importing” immigrants to Springfield. The mayor told us he has never been to Haiti nor has he received any “kickbacks.”
FactChecking the Vice Presidential Debate
Despite a mostly civil debate between Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the two disagreed repeatedly not just on policy, but also on the facts. We referee some of those competing claims, and other factual missteps by the vice presidential candidates.
Trump, Vance Wrong About ‘Illegal Immigrant Murderers’
In campaign appearances over the weekend in the swing state of Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, falsely accused Vice President Kamala Harris of letting more than 13,000 “illegal immigrant murderers” into the United States.