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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Viral Posts Misrepresent California Primary Results

Viral Posts Misrepresent California Primary Results

Viral posts falsely claim President Donald Trump received more votes in the California primary than the top two Democratic candidates combined. Unofficial totals show that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden received 1,842,471 votes; Trump received 1,486,415.

Article Falsely Reports on Health of Pope Francis

Article Falsely Reports on Health of Pope Francis

An article circulating on social media claims without evidence that Pope Francis and two of his aides have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Vatican has said the pope has a cold, “with no symptoms related to other pathologies.”

Social Posts Share Fake Schumer Tweet

Social Posts Share Fake Schumer Tweet

Posts on Facebook falsely claim to show screenshots of two tweets by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about the U.S. coronavirus response. Schumer didn’t post the supposed tweet criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to bar travelers from China.

Democrats’ Misleading Coronavirus Claims

Democrats’ Misleading Coronavirus Claims

Democrats have criticized President Donald Trump for his administration’s response to the new coronavirus, making claims about cuts to public health programs and the silencing of government experts. But they haven’t always gotten their facts right.

COVID-19 Tests Don’t Cost Over $3,000

COVID-19 Tests Don’t Cost Over $3,000

A meme with the false claim that “[t]he US is charging over $3,000 per test” for patients who may have COVID-19 has been circulating on social media. For now, the two agencies authorized to test for the illness are not billing patients.

Image Altered to Show KKK Members with Trump Sign

Image Altered to Show KKK Members with Trump Sign

A doctored image on social media shows members of the KKK carrying a Trump-Pence campaign banner. The original image, which predates President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign by several years, does not.

Trump and the ‘New Hoax’

Trump and the ‘New Hoax’

President Donald Trump accused the Democrats of “politicizing” the new coronavirus, calling it “their new hoax.” Even after Trump explained his remarks, some Democrats — including Mike Bloomberg — continued to wrongly accuse Trump of describing the coronavirus as a “hoax.”

Cattle Vaccine Not Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus

Cattle Vaccine Not Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus

Viral Facebook posts use a photo of a vaccine for cows to falsely suggest that the novel coronavirus isn’t actually new, alleging it is proof of “how much the media controls people.” The cattle vaccine has nothing to do with the COVID-19 virus.