Delivering remarks at a labor union conference in California, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stretched the facts with several labor-related claims.
Walz Twists Some Labor Claims
Locations: National
How Walz Responded to Riots in Minnesota After the Death of George Floyd
For years, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been criticized by some for his response to riots in his state after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. That criticism picked up again this month when Vice President Kamala Harris chose Walz to be her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket. Here we provide a brief timeline of events.
Harris Drew a Crowd in Detroit, But Detractors Spread Bogus Claim to the Contrary
Vice President Kamala Harris drew a large crowd at a campaign rally near Detroit, according to photos, videos and press reports. But posts circulating online make the baseless claim — amplified by former President Donald Trump — that an image of the event was fabricated or manipulated by artificial intelligence to inflate the crowd size.
Posts Mislead About Harris’ Romance with Willie Brown
Vice President Kamala Harris had a romantic relationship with powerful California politician Willie Brown in the 1990s. But claims on social media that she broke up his marriage misrepresent the facts. Brown had separated from his wife years before he and Harris had dated.
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.”
RFK Jr.’s Exaggerations on Chronic Disease in Children
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has given children’s health and the “chronic disease epidemic” a prominent role in his campaign. Diagnoses of a variety of chronic conditions in children have increased in recent decades, but likely not to the extent that Kennedy claims or for the reasons he gives.
Netflix Chairman, Not the Company, Reportedly Donated to Super PAC Supporting Harris
Netflix Co-founder and Executive Chairman Reed Hastings reportedly made a $7 million donation to a super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president. But some social media posts inaccurately claim that “Netflix just donated 7 million to Kamala.” The contribution was from Hastings, not the company.
Social Media Posts Misrepresent Harris’ 2014 Remarks About Young People
When Vice President Kamala Harris was the attorney general of California in 2014, she announced a program to help young people transitioning out of the criminal justice system. She glibly referred to the 18-24 age group as “stupid,” saying people that age “make really bad decisions.” But social media posts have taken her words out of context.
Misinformation Swirls After Attempted Assassination
Conspiracy theories and misinformation on social media began clouding coverage of the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump almost immediately after it happened. We addressed several of those claims.
Posts Baselessly Suggest Others Were Involved in Trump’s Assassination Attempt
Viral online posts make the unfounded claim that a woman at former President Donald Trump’s July 13 rally acted “suspicious,” suggesting that she might have been involved in a plot to assassinate Trump, and that a QAnon-related character may have also been involved. The FBI has said that the “investigation to date indicates the shooter acted alone.”