We fact-check Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ claims in two public appearances announcing his 2024 presidential candidacy.
FactChecking Ron DeSantis’ Presidential Announcement
CNN Says Future Town Halls Will Include Live Audiences, Contrary to Online Posts
CNN was criticized by some for hosting a town hall with Donald Trump and a live audience that expressed strong support for the former president. Online posts now wrongly claim CNN will have “no more live audiences at town halls.” CNN said the claim is “fabricated” and plans a live audience at a town hall with Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in June.
FactChecking Tim Scott’s Presidential Campaign Announcement
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina announced on May 22 that he will seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024. We reviewed his speech — and an exclusive NBC News interview he did shortly after — and found that he made a few claims that were false, misleading or lacked important context.
Young Children Do Not Receive Medical Gender Transition Treatment
Families seeking information from a health care provider about a young child’s gender identity may have their questions answered or receive counseling. Some posts share a misleading claim that toddlers are being “transitioned.” To be clear, prepubescent children are not offered transition surgery or drugs.
Debt Ceiling Talks Go Down to the Wire — Again
The U.S. government will likely run out of money in early June unless Congress passes a bill to raise the debt limit. Here we look at the current state of negotiations and review how the past 10 debt limit disputes were resolved.
DeSantis’ Law Requiring Online Vendors to Charge Sales Tax Wasn’t a New Tax
A TV ad misleadingly accuses Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of increasing taxes. But the law in question didn’t create a new tax. Instead, it implemented a more effective way of collecting an existing tax.
Post Mischaracterizes GOP Opposition to Oregon Bill on Reproductive Health Care for Minors
An Oregon bill that would eliminate parental consent for minors to access reproductive health care, including abortion, has been criticized by conservatives. But a liberal social media post mischaracterizes their opposition by claiming Republicans said girls “should be allowed to be forced to give birth to their rapist’s baby if the rapist is their father.”
Viral Video Makes False Claim About Global Oil Supply
Oil is formed in a process that takes millions of years, and there is a finite amount on the planet, scientists say. But a TikTok video shared on Instagram falsely claims that there is an “unlimited” supply of oil, and people are being “taught” otherwise to keep them “in a fear state.”
Michelle Obama Not a 2024 Presidential Candidate, Contrary to Online Posts
President Joe Biden has said he will seek a second term, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson have said they will challenge him for the 2024 Democratic nomination. But social media posts falsely claim that the party “just confirmed Michelle Obama will be its nominee.” There is no evidence that the former first lady is a candidate.
FactChecking Trump’s CNN Town Hall
Former President Donald Trump’s town hall event felt like a lightning round of false and misleading claims — most of which we’ve heard before — on voter fraud, immigration, classified documents and more.