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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump Again Overstates Number of Drug Overdose Deaths in U.S.

Trump Again Overstates Number of Drug Overdose Deaths in U.S.
September 12, 2025

Reviving an unfounded claim he has made for several years, President Donald Trump on Sept. 5 overstated the number of Americans who died in 2024 of drug overdoses, saying that he believed 300,000 or “350,000 people died last year from drugs.” A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told us the provisional number of drug overdose deaths in 2024 was 79,383, and an expert in addiction medicine told us Trump’s number was “a gross exaggeration.”

Viral Claims About Charlie Kirk’s Words

Viral Claims About Charlie Kirk’s Words
September 12, 2025

Since the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, social media users have shared posts showing, quoting or paraphrasing remarks the posts attribute to the conservative activist. Many readers have asked us to provide the facts on whether Kirk, the founder of the youth political group Turning Point USA, made several of these comments.

After Kirk’s Death, a False Social Media Post on Partisan Reaction to Violence

After Kirk’s Death, a False Social Media Post on Partisan Reaction to Violence
September 11, 2025

After the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, social media claims offering political views of the assassination and the reaction to it quickly spread. One message falsely claimed that “not a single Republican condemned” the targeted shooting of a Democratic politician in Minnesota in June. Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, condemned it.

COVID Vaccines Are Harder to Get, Despite Claims from HHS, RFK Jr.

COVID Vaccines Are Harder to Get, Despite Claims from HHS, RFK Jr.
September 10, 2025

Heated exchanges between some senators and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Sept. 4 hearing amplified confusion about the availability of COVID-19 vaccinations for the fall, with Kennedy misleadingly claiming that “anybody” can still get a vaccine. HHS policies have created roadblocks to vaccine access.

RFK Jr. Cherry-Picks and Misuses Data on Aluminum-Containing Vaccines

RFK Jr. Cherry-Picks and Misuses Data on Aluminum-Containing Vaccines
September 5, 2025

A large Danish study recently provided reassurance that aluminum-containing vaccines are not associated with increased rates of chronic health conditions in children, including autism. But Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misrepresented the study’s findings, claiming that the paper’s supplementary data “shows calamitous evidence of harm.”

Adding Context to Trump’s Misleading Claims About Crime in Chicago

Adding Context to Trump’s Misleading Claims About Crime in Chicago
September 5, 2025

President Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Sept. 2, “CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!” That’s not the case, experts told us, and Chicago’s overall homicide rate declined more than 30% in the first six months of this year as compared with last year.

Trump’s Unsupported Death Penalty Claim

Trump’s Unsupported Death Penalty Claim
September 4, 2025

At a Cabinet meeting on Aug. 26, President Donald Trump proposed seeking the death penalty for anyone convicted of murder in Washington, D.C., claiming the death penalty is “a very strong preventative.” But the research, which has been difficult to conduct, is inconclusive on whether capital punishment is a deterrent. 

DCCC Serves up Spin for the Labor Day Cookout

DCCC Serves up Spin for the Labor Day Cookout
August 29, 2025

Over the Labor Day weekend, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running digital ads on social media blaming House Republicans for “driving up the price of burgers.” But that’s misleading. The sizable rise in ground beef prices is tied to drought conditions in recent years, among other factors.

Addressing Trump’s Claims About Ending Multiple Wars

Addressing Trump’s Claims About Ending Multiple Wars
August 29, 2025

Q: Did President Donald Trump solve seven wars in seven months?

A: Trump has claimed he “ended” six or seven wars since returning to the White House in January. Experts in international relations said the president has had a significant role in ending fighting in four conflicts, though officials in one country refute Trump’s claim. But some of the international disagreements Trump cites have not been wars, and some clashes have not ended, experts said.