The Poynter Institute

English Español

Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

I would like to contribute

Tonight: Follow our debate coverage on Twitter

National

Bill Adair

By Bill Adair October 1, 2008

A team of PolitiFact reporters and editors will be fact-checking tonight's debate between John McCain and Barack Obama. We'll be doing our usual Truth-O-Meter items, plus we'll also be doing live coverage on Twitter during the debate.

You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/politifact .

If you hear something you'd like us to check, send us a Twitter message.

Follow us on Twitter.

Republican Party of Florida

stated on March 19, 2010 in a news release:

The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of nearly 20 percent of our economy."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on March 2, 2010 in the State of the State address:

Cover Florida "is available to any Floridian, offering basic coverage for about $150 a month, instead of the typical $600 a month."

barely-true

barely-true

C.W. Bill Young

stated on February 20, 2010 in a speech to Pinellas County Republicans.:

The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of our health programs."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on October 7, 2014 in a debate :

"The Common Core was not put together by the Department of Education in Washington. It was put together by governors and by states."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on October 3, 2014 in a news release:

Says Thom Tillis "refuses to say what we should do to combat ISIS."

mostly-true

mostly-true

Protect Oregon Driver Licenses

stated on April 21, 2013 in a campaign website statement:

Gov. Kitzhaber oversaw creation of the Oregon driver card law "behind closed doors without allowing any input from citizens who represent the public interest."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on July 18, 2014 in a campaign debate:

Oregon "is the most trade-dependent state in the nation"

false

false

stated on February 26, 2016 in a test of the fact-checking widget:

"This is a test of the fact-checking widget."

false

false

Donald Rumsfeld

stated on February 17, 2013 in an op-ed in the "Washington Post":

Says wrestling was a favorite sport of Abraham Lincoln.

true

true

18% of the American public

stated on September 6, 2012 in a test:

true

true

18% of the American public

stated on August 22, 2012 in a statement:

true

true

stated on June 26, 2012 in a message forwarded to many people:

Says "a lip-reading instructor at the River School, a Washington, D.C., school for the deaf" has determined that during 9/11 ceremonies, Michelle Obama said, "All this for a damn flag."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on January 8, 2012 in a Republican debate in New Hampshire.:

Says President Barack Obama "is a socialist."

pants-fire

pants-fire

Michele Bachmann

stated on November 22, 2011 in a Republican debate in Washington:

Says Apple CEO Steve Jobs told President Obama that the company moved factories to China because it needed 30,000 engineers.

true

true

18% of the American public

stated on November 3, 2016 in a test conducted on an obscure PolitiFact site.:

"This is a test of the Share the Facts widget."

true

true

Republican Party of Florida

stated on March 19, 2010 in a news release:

The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of nearly 20 percent of our economy."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on March 2, 2010 in the State of the State address:

Cover Florida "is available to any Floridian, offering basic coverage for about $150 a month, instead of the typical $600 a month."

barely-true

barely-true

C.W. Bill Young

stated on February 20, 2010 in a speech to Pinellas County Republicans.:

The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of our health programs."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on October 7, 2014 in a debate :

"The Common Core was not put together by the Department of Education in Washington. It was put together by governors and by states."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on October 3, 2014 in a news release:

Says Thom Tillis "refuses to say what we should do to combat ISIS."

mostly-true

mostly-true

Protect Oregon Driver Licenses

stated on April 21, 2013 in a campaign website statement:

Gov. Kitzhaber oversaw creation of the Oregon driver card law "behind closed doors without allowing any input from citizens who represent the public interest."

barely-true

barely-true

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on May 14, 2025 in Senate testimony:

It’s “all true” that the measles vaccine wanes quickly, was never fully safety tested and contains fetal debris.

By Madison Czopek • May 16, 2025
Bernie Sanders
stated on May 12, 2025 in a post on X:

“Republicans just unveiled their ‘big, beautiful bill,’ which will take Medicaid & health insurance away from 13.7 million Americans.”

By Louis Jacobson • May 16, 2025
Gavin Newsom
stated on May 14, 2025 in in a press conference:

On California offering affordable health care access for immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

By Amy Sherman • May 16, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on May 8, 2025 in an event in the White House:

Declining cargo traffic at U.S. ports “means we lose less money. … When you say it's slowed down, that's a good thing.”

By Louis Jacobson • May 16, 2025
Alex Jones
stated on May 11, 2025 in en una publicación en X:

Un vídeo muestra al presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, al primer ministro del Reino Unido, Keir Starmer, y al canciller alemán, Friedrich Merz, con una bolsa de cocaína tras visitar al presidente ucraniano, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

By Maria Briceño • May 16, 2025
Marcia Morey
stated on April 30, 2025 in a speech in the North Carolina House of Representatives:

“Google caved in to Trump. They erased Black History Month from the calendar.”

By Paul Specht • May 15, 2025
Stephen Miller
stated on May 9, 2025 in an interview:

The Immigration and Nationality Act “stripped Article III courts, that's the judicial branch, of jurisdiction over immigration cases.”

By Maria Ramirez Uribe • May 15, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on May 11, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

Under a new executive order, prescription drug prices will be reduced “almost immediately.”

By Louis Jacobson • May 14, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on May 8, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

The Digital Equity Act is a handout "based on race,” and “illegal.”

By Amy Sherman • May 13, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on May 8, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

The Digital Equity Act is a “handout based on race,” and “illegal.”

By Amy Sherman • May 13, 2025

✕