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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Illegal Immigration and Fentanyl at the U.S. Northern and Southwest Borders

Illegal Immigration and Fentanyl at the U.S. Northern and Southwest Borders

In recent remarks to the press, President Donald Trump restated his intention to impose 25% tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico and Canada as early as Feb. 1. His reasoning: “vast” illegal immigration and “massive” amounts of fentanyl coming to the U.S. from those countries. But Trump drew a false equivalence between the two countries. In fact, the magnitude of the difference is enormous.

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.

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.

Posts Sharing Mpox Misinformation Recycle Claims from Prior Viral Outbreaks

Posts Sharing Mpox Misinformation Recycle Claims from Prior Viral Outbreaks

Responding to rising mpox cases in Africa, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on Aug. 14. Social media posts subsequently repeated a plethora of false or baseless claims, including that COVID-19 vaccines cause the viral disease or that the current outbreak is part of a global conspiracy.

Trump’s False Claim That Harris Met with Putin

Trump’s False Claim That Harris Met with Putin

In February 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris attended an annual security conference in Germany to talk with European leaders about Russian aggression toward Ukraine and other world topics. She didn’t go to Russia, and there is no evidence she met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, contrary to an unsupported claim made by former President Donald Trump.

Trump TV Ad Repeats False ‘Border Czar,’ Illegal Immigration Claims

Trump TV Ad Repeats False ‘Border Czar,’ Illegal Immigration Claims

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has launched a new general election ad that falsely labels Vice President Kamala Harris the “border czar” and falsely suggests that 10 million people illegally crossed the southern border on her watch and are still “here.”

FactChecking Trump’s Immigration-Related Claims in Phoenix and Las Vegas

FactChecking Trump’s Immigration-Related Claims in Phoenix and Las Vegas

Former President Donald Trump has made illegal immigration and its impact on the U.S. a focus of his campaign – but several of his talking points are wrong or misleading. Here’s what we found among his immigration claims at recent events in the electoral swing states of Arizona and Nevada.

Trump’s Latest False Claim About the U.S.-China Trade Deficit

Trump’s Latest False Claim About the U.S.-China Trade Deficit

The total U.S. trade deficit with China in goods and services in 2023 was about $252 billion, the lowest it has been in 14 years. Former President Donald Trump was way off when he falsely claimed that the U.S.-China trade gap is about four times as high.

Posts Misrepresent Unfreezing of $16 Billion in Iranian Funds

Posts Misrepresent Unfreezing of $16 Billion in Iranian Funds

A recent deal involving a prisoner swap and the extension of a Trump-era waiver have freed $16 billion in previously frozen Iranian funds. Social media posts distort the sources of the money to falsely claim “Joe Biden gave 16 billion to Iran.” The Iranian money has been unfrozen with restrictions that it be used for humanitarian purposes.