A Fact-Check of Misinformation and False Claims Against President-elect Donald Trump

This is a report by the Fact Check Team of the USA Today.

Throughout the presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump was both a subject and spreader of a variety of false claims.

In the final stages of the campaign that has now led Trump back to the White House , social media users continued to share misinformation about him, from miscaptioned images and fabricated Trump statements to false claims about his campaign signs and court cases .

Trump has made false claims too, including his oft-repeated assertion that he lost to Joe Biden in 2020 due to election fraud . He also falsely claimed that millions of noncitizens vote in U.S. elections, that Haitian migrants in Ohio ate pets and that the government didn’t have money to help hurricane victims because it was spent on migrants living in the country illegally.

Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris by capturing multiple battleground states , including North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, putting him over the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency

Here’s a roundup of checks about Trump from the USA TODAY Fact Check Team:

Claim: Image shows Trump statement comparing government action on ‘executed’ squirrel to efforts against illegal immigration

Our rating: Altered

The image is a fabrication. A Trump campaign spokesperson said the statement is not real. There is no record of it on the website where the campaign would post such a statement.

Full fact check: Trump statement comparing Peanut the Squirrel, immigration is fabricated

Claim: Trump funded campaign sign with swastika on it

Our rating: False

There’s no evidence the swastika sign came from Trump’s campaign. A Barnwell County official told PolitiFact the sign was tampered with, and a Trump spokesperson told USA TODAY the sign was “fake.” A local GOP official said close-up images suggest the logo was a sticker placed over a legitimate campaign sign.

Full fact check: Sign with swastika ‘absolutely not’ from Trump campaign, GOP official says

Claim: Joe Rogan said he’s not voting for Trump as of Oct. 29 after having him on his podcast

Our rating: False

There is no evidence Rogan made such a statement against Trump. This was further confirmed late on Nov. 4, when Rogan endorsed Trump.

Full fact check: No, Joe Rogan hasn’t said he’s not voting for Donald Trump

Claim: Post implies image shows Donald Trump voting in 2024 presidential election

Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim is wrong. The image shows Trump casting his vote in New York in the 2016 presidential election. The former president now lives and votes in Florida.

Full fact check: Image of Trump peeking at wife’s ballot is from 2016

Claim: Trump’s name misspelled on Virginia ballot is election fraud

Our rating: False

A Virginia election official said the typo appears on a rarely-used ballot review screen, not on the ballots themselves. It doesn’t affect how people vote since it can’t be seen until after voters make a selection on a paper ballot.

Full fact check: Trump name misspelled on voting machine review screen not ‘election fraud’

Claim: The Constitution ‘clearly states that a felon cannot take elective office’

Our rating: False

Neither the 14th Amendment nor any other part of the Constitution bans felons from taking office, an expert told USA TODAY. The section referenced in the post prohibits anyone who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and “engaged in insurrection” from taking office, but a Supreme Court decision in March requires Congress to act for it to be enforced.

Full fact check: 14th Amendment doesn’t ban felons from taking office

Claim: Trump had convictions ‘overturned’ as of Oct. 10, awarded $500 million refund

Our rating: False

As of Oct. 10, Trump’s conviction in his criminal hush money case had not been “overturned.” He faces a separate civil fraud judgment of nearly $500 million and posted a bond of $175 million, but has not been given any of that money “back.” While judges in September heard arguments related to his appeal of that judgment, they did not issue a ruling before the post was shared.

Full fact check: Post wrongly claims Trump conviction ‘overturned’ in October

Claim: Image shows Trump post saying ‘I hate Adolf Hitler’

Our rating: Altered

The image is a fabrication. The post details are consistent with an online meme generator, and there is no record of the post on Trump’s Truth Social profile or in reputable media reports.

Full fact check: Image of Trump post about ‘hate’ for Hitler is fabricated

Claim: Exclusion of Trump in Oregon voters’ pamphlet is proof of election interference

Our rating: False

Oregon’s GOP and Secretary of State’s Office said former President Donald Trump’s statement was excluded because he chose not to submit one. His name is listed in the pamphlet with a disclaimer saying that, and he will still appear on the state’s ballots.

Full fact check: Exclusion of Trump statement in Oregon pamphlet not sign of interference

Claim: Trump canceled second debate, appearances on CNN, ’60 Minutes’ and others

Our rating: Partly false

Trump canceled some of the events mentioned in the post, but he never agreed to participate in others.

Full fact check: Partly false claim Trump canceled CNN town hall, NRA rally and other events

Claim: Video shows Trump’s college report card

Our rating: Altered

The image of the report card is fabricated. Fordham University identified it as inauthentic in a social media post.

Full fact check: Those aren’t Trump’s grades from Fordham. Image in video is a ‘forgery’

Claim: Image shows Trump post about suspected second assassination attempt

Our rating: Altered

The image is a fabrication. There is no record of the post on Trump’s Truth Social account.

Full fact check: Supposed Trump post that his would-be assassins are ‘0-2’ is fabricated

Claim: Image shows headline from The Atlantic saying

‘Trump is literally Hitler’

Our rating: Altered

The image is fabricated. The Atlantic said the headline is an altered version of an Oct. 22 article titled “Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had.’” The summary is also altered.

Full fact check: No, the Atlantic didn’t publish a story with headline saying Trump is Hitler

Claim: Image shows Trump wading through flood waters after Hurricane Helene

Our rating: Altered

Experts and an AI-detection tool confirmed the image is AI-generated. There’s no evidence Trump waded through flood water in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Full fact check: Image of Donald Trump wading through flood water is AI-generated

Claim: Melania Trump said she wants a divorce

Our rating: False

Melania Trump has not made any public statements that support the claim, and a spokesperson for Donald Trump said the claim is false. The former first lady has reiterated her support for her husband in numerous interviews in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.

Full fact check: Melania Trump has publicly supported her husband, hasn’t called for divorce

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