Our annual roundup of the worst falsehoods of the year.
Whoppers of 2024
Person: Joe Biden
Gun Charges Against Hunter Biden Didn’t Come from 1994 Crime Bill
President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden from serving time for gun- and tax-related crimes. But contrary to claims on social media, Hunter Biden’s gun charges did not stem from a 1994 “crime bill authored” by then-Sen. Joe Biden.
Posts Wrongly Conflate U.S.-China Prisoner Swap with Biden’s Recent Pardons
President Joe Biden granted pardons and commutations to more than 1,500 individuals on Dec. 12. Social media posts wrongly claim those pardoned included a Chinese national, Shanlin Jin, imprisoned for child pornography. Jin was granted clemency as part of a prisoner swap last month that freed three Americans held for years in China.
Bush, Carter Didn’t Pardon Relatives, Contrary to Posts
President Joe Biden is one of only a few presidents who have granted pardons to a relative. But social media posts falsely claim that former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush also pardoned family members. While Billy Carter and Neil Bush faced controversies, neither was criminally charged nor received a pardon.
What Biden Left Out of Pardon Statement
On Dec. 1, President Joe Biden provided a blanket pardon for his son Hunter for any potential crimes committed over nearly an 11-year period. In the statement Biden provided to justify his reversal of position, he left out a few inconvenient facts.
No Evidence Musk Threatened to Ban X Users Celebrating Hunter Biden’s Pardon
Elon Musk trolled President Joe Biden on X after Hunter Biden’s pardon, sharing a community note mocking the president’s previous post that said, “No one is above the law.” Soon after, a Threads post falsely claimed Musk threatened “anyone glorifying” the pardon “will be suspended from X permanently.” There’s no evidence Musk made such a statement.
Musk’s Starlink Was Not Connected to Vote Tabulation, Contrary to Online Claims
Elon Musk’s Starlink system helped provide internet access to communities affected by the recent hurricanes. But online posts spread baseless claims that Starlink “uploaded votes in swing states” and helped Donald Trump win the election. Experts said voting machines are not connected to the internet during tabulation; one state election official called the claims “utter garbage.”
Biden’s Numbers, 2024 Pre-Election Update
Our latest quarterly report on various statistical indicators comes less than three weeks before Election Day.
Trump’s False Claim of Stolen Disaster Relief Funds
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said that no funds intended for disaster relief have been used to pay for programs that respond to illegal immigration. But former President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that the Biden administration “stole” money for hurricane recovery and spent it on housing for people in the U.S. illegally.
Posts Misrepresent Video of Biden with Trump Hat
A viral video showing President Joe Biden briefly donning a campaign hat for Donald Trump has been used to suggest that Biden is endorsing Trump. He isn’t. He had exchanged hats with a Trump supporter at a 9/11 memorial in an effort to show unity.