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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

The Facts on Coronavirus Testing

The Facts on Coronavirus Testing

Federal officials have provided confusing and sometimes contradictory statements about the number and availability of tests to diagnose new coronavirus infections. We’ll explain how testing works, what happened with the CDC’s coronavirus test and what’s known about how many tests are available in the U.S.

Trump’s Welfare Claim

Trump’s Welfare Claim

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that his administration has “lifted 10 million people off of welfare,” a figure that primarily includes the change in the number of recipients of food stamps, but also those enrolled in other programs. While it’s clear enrollment has declined by millions, there are some caveats to the president’s number.

Viral Biden Video Is Deceptively Edited

Viral Biden Video Is Deceptively Edited

A deceptively edited clip of Joe Biden makes it look like he endorsed President Donald Trump. Actually, he said that Trump would be re-elected if Democrats wage a negative campaign.

FactChecking Trump’s Scranton Town Hall

FactChecking Trump’s Scranton Town Hall

At a town hall event in the swing state of Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump made several false and misleading claims, some of which we have repeatedly debunked before.

The Facts on Trump’s Travel Restrictions

The Facts on Trump’s Travel Restrictions

President Donald Trump has made a number of misleading statements about his decision on Jan. 31 to impose travel restrictions related to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Trump’s Misplaced Blame on Obama for Coronavirus Tests

Trump’s Misplaced Blame on Obama for Coronavirus Tests

Amid criticism over his administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that he had to overcome an Obama-era Food and Drug Administration “rule” to more quickly provide diagnostic tests to the American people. Experts, however, told us no such formal regulation was ever implemented under the previous administration.

Trump and the Coronavirus Death Rate

Trump and the Coronavirus Death Rate

The World Health Organization says that 3.4% of reported COVID-19 patients worldwide have died – a global fatality figure that President Donald Trump dismissed as “a false number.” It’s not a false number, although experts say Trump has a point that the fatality rate may ultimately be quite a bit less than 3.4%.

Viral Posts Misrepresent California Primary Results

Viral Posts Misrepresent California Primary Results

Viral posts falsely claim President Donald Trump received more votes in the California primary than the top two Democratic candidates combined. Unofficial totals show that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden received 1,842,471 votes; Trump received 1,486,415.

Social Posts Share Fake Schumer Tweet

Social Posts Share Fake Schumer Tweet

Posts on Facebook falsely claim to show screenshots of two tweets by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about the U.S. coronavirus response. Schumer didn’t post the supposed tweet criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to bar travelers from China.

Democrats’ Misleading Coronavirus Claims

Democrats’ Misleading Coronavirus Claims

Democrats have criticized President Donald Trump for his administration’s response to the new coronavirus, making claims about cuts to public health programs and the silencing of government experts. But they haven’t always gotten their facts right.