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17 candidates, 2 debates, 1 Donald Trump and plenty to fact-check

Texas

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during the first Republican presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio. (AP)

Aaron Sharockman

By Aaron Sharockman August 7, 2015

Seventeen candidates, five moderators, two debates, one Donald Trump. All of it kept the fact-checkers busy Thursday.

Click here for PolitiFact's immediate rundown of claims made during the debate.

See individual fact-checks.

stated on February 7, 2018 in a blog post:

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

false

false

stated on March 28, 2018 in 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 in 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 August 5, 2021 in a viral image:

Says there are fewer than 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S.

false

false

stated on June 21, 2021 in a post on Facebook:

Says President John F. Kennedy said, “There are people in Washington, D.C., in positions of power to whom the border is just a nuisance, and I think some of them believe that illegal immigration is a moral good. It is not.”

false

false

stated on October 7, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

“Shredded Pennsylvania Mail in ballot Applications were discovered in a trailer. The applications were for @realDonaldTrump.”

false

false

stated on October 4, 2020 in comments on ABC's "This Week":

Says Joe Biden stays in his basement.

false

false

stated on August 14, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

“As of the last 24 hours this is the protocol regarding masks: Masks should only be used by healthcare workers, caretakers or by people who are sick with symptoms like fever and cough.”

false

false

stated on June 30, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

An image from the St. Louis protest is “what MSM (mainstream media) won’t show you. Peaceful demonstrator pointing weapon at homeowner.”

false

false

stated on June 24, 2020 in a Facebook post:

Tennis star Serena Williams wrote that she’s “sick of COVID-19. I’m sick of black vs. white. I’m sick of Democrats vs. Republicans. I’m sick of gay vs. straight. I’m sick of Christians vs atheists. I’m REALLY sick of the media.”

false

false

stated on June 12, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

Says Tim Tebow “kneeled in protest of abortion during the National Anthem in 2012. He was praised by fans as being a ‘model American.’”

false

false

stated on February 29, 2020 in posts on Twitter and Facebook:

Says Sen. Chuck Schumer deleted a Feb. 5 tweet criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to ban some forms of travel to and from China.

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on February 29, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

“Bernie Logic: Nobody can live on $7 an hour. We must raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Also we must raise the tax rate to 52%. $15 an hour * 52% = $7.80. $15 an hour - $7.80 = $7.20. $7.20 an hour!!!”

false

false

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

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

true

true

stated on October 29, 2018 in 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 in a blog post:

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

false

false

stated on March 28, 2018 in 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 in 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 August 5, 2021 in a viral image:

Says there are fewer than 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S.

false

false

stated on June 21, 2021 in a post on Facebook:

Says President John F. Kennedy said, “There are people in Washington, D.C., in positions of power to whom the border is just a nuisance, and I think some of them believe that illegal immigration is a moral good. It is not.”

false

false

stated on October 7, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

“Shredded Pennsylvania Mail in ballot Applications were discovered in a trailer. The applications were for @realDonaldTrump.”

false

false

Facebook posts
stated on May 2, 2025 in an Instagram post:

Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum

By Tyler Adkisson • May 2, 2025
Instagram posts
stated on August 27, 2024 in an Instagram post:

California S.B. 1174 eliminates the requirement for voter ID at polling places.

By Sofia Ahmed • August 30, 2024
X posts
stated on August 29, 2024 in X posts:

President Joe Biden “did a campaign ad at the graves in Arlington in 2020.”

By Loreben Tuquero • August 30, 2024
X posts
stated on August 16, 2024 in a video:

Video shows “Kamala Harris describing how she can ruin lives with the 'swipe of a pen.’"

By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 30, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on August 25, 2024 in a post:

Kamala Harris’ “plan to tax unrecognized Capital Gains mean(s) if your house goes up in value you will have to pay that Tax Even if you don’t sell your House!”

By Sara Swann • August 30, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on August 25, 2024 in a Facebook post:

“There’s no such thing as menopause.”

By Madison Czopek • August 30, 2024
Instagram posts
stated on August 27, 2024 in an Instagram post:

“Hollywood actor Kurt Russell just said: ‘It is now proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden CHEATED in the 2020 election with mail-in ballots.’”

By Caleb McCullough • August 30, 2024
Kamala Harris
stated on August 22, 2024 in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention:

Former President Donald Trump "intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax ... that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year."

By Louis Jacobson • August 30, 2024
Viral image
stated on August 27, 2024 in a Facebook post:

“Kurt Russell forms a new non-woke actors alliance with Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.”

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 30, 2024
Viral image
stated on August 23, 2024 in an X post:

Photo of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt was generated by artificial intelligence.

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 30, 2024