PolitiFact | The truth about the 2016 presidential campaign

The Poynter Institute

The truth about the 2016 presidential campaign

National

Aaron Sharockman

By Aaron Sharockman September 26, 2016

We've fact-checked Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton more than 400 times combined since they announced their candidacies for president. See their records on PolitiFact's Truth-O-Meter below.

Listed inside the story.

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The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter

stated on December 20, 2019 the sixth Democratic presidential debate:

Says Pete Buttigieg ran statewide in Indiana and "lost by 20 points."

true

true

stated on October 29, 2018 a post on Facebook:

"As some of you may know I am the recent $3.4 million lotto winner. I’d like to spread some positivity so I’m sending $1,000 to the first 100k people that share this."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on February 7, 2018 a blog post:

"FBI RAIDS OBAMA – Find Massive Secret That Was Hidden For YEARS."

false

false

stated on March 28, 2018 a blog post:

"Robert Redford Says: Michelle And Barack Obama Should Get Five Years In Prison."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on November 29, 2017 a post on Twitter:

Says Joe Scarborough is party to an "unsolved mystery" from his time as a congressman in Florida.

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on October 30, 2017 a blog post:

"Jeff Flake’s office leaks names of those charged in Mueller’s Russian probe."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on October 3, 2017 a blog post:

"Las Vegas shooting witnesses report multiple gunmen dressed as security guards."

pants-fire

pants-fire

TheLastLineOfDefense.org

stated on September 11, 2017 a blog post:

"Florida Governor Rick Scott now listed as ‘critical’ after bizarre hurricane cleanup accident."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on August 17, 2017 a tweet:

"Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!"

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on August 13, 2017 a video on his website:

Emails show Democrats, Hillary Clinton and George Soros instigated and orchestrated racial protests in Charlottesville by trying to "control" and keep people "desperate."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on May 29, 2017 Internet rumors:

President Donald Trump "announced that he would reinstate a national day of remembrance for fallen officers that the traitor before him had done away with."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on May 19, 2017 an broadcast of the "Hugh Hewitt Show":

"In some places, there is no individual (health insurance) market."

false

false

stated on April 11, 2017 media comments:

Before the presidential campaign, "I didn't know Steve (Bannon)."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on March 12, 2017 an interview on "Meet the Press":

"The number of individuals who actually got coverage through the exchange who didn't have coverage before, or who weren't eligible for Medicaid before is relatively small. So we've turned things upside down completely for 3 million, or 4 million, or 5 million individuals."

false

false

stated on February 25, 2017 a tweet:

"The National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion."

barely-true

barely-true

Bernie Sanders
stated on February 15, 2020 in in a speech to Democrats in Nevada:

Says Mike Bloomberg “blamed the end of the racist policies such as redlining for the financial crisis.”

By Amy Sherman • February 18, 2020
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 15, 2020 in a speech in Las Vegas:

Says Mike Bloomberg “opposed modest proposals during Barack Obama’s presidency to raise taxes on the wealthy, while advocating for cuts to Medicare and Social Security.”

By Jon Greenberg • February 18, 2020
Donald Trump
stated on February 11, 2020 in a tweet:

Says four Justice Department prosecutors "cut and ran after being exposed for recommending a ridiculous 9 year prison sentence to" Roger Stone.

By Bill McCarthy • February 18, 2020
Instagram posts
stated on February 14, 2020 in a meme:

Photo shows Bernie Sanders at the 1969 Stonewall riots.

By Daniel Funke • February 18, 2020
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 15, 2020 in a speech in Nevada:

Says Mike Bloomberg is “a candidate who in 2015 stated, and I quote: ‘I, for example, am not in favor, have never been in favor of raising the minimum wage.’”

By Amy Sherman • February 18, 2020
Facebook posts
stated on February 3, 2020 in a Facebook post:

“Michigan prosecutor looks to release 90 convicted murderers serving life sentences.”

By Tom Kertscher • February 18, 2020
Bloggers
stated on November 11, 2019 in a blog post:

“Dinesh D’Souza passed away."

By Emily Venezky • February 18, 2020
Facebook posts
stated on January 28, 2020 in a Facebook post:

“Epstein’s recruiter Ghislaine Maxwell’s father Robert Maxwell gave Mitt Romney his first $2M investment and started him in business.”

By Tom Kertscher • February 18, 2020
Facebook posts
stated on February 9, 2020 in a Facebook post:

After pushing through a red flag law in the New Mexico Senate, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham “has had the firearms of her guards and household seized.”

By Amy Sherman • February 18, 2020
Bloggers
stated on February 6, 2019 in a story:

“Robert de Niro Linked to Child Sex Trafficking Ring According to Court Records”

By Madison Czopek • February 18, 2020