As the second Trump administration hits its 100-day mark on April 29, NewsGuard has identified 20 false claims about Donald Trump that have gone viral, collectively accumulating at least 134.5 million views and 3.8 million likes across multiple social platforms.
A NewsGuard analysis of the 20 false claims found that they range from the bizarre — such as the claim that Trump cut off former President Barack Obama from receiving royalties for the name “Obamacare” — to the policy-oriented, such as the claim that Trump canceled taxes on overtime pay.
The origins and the motivation behind the claims were similarly varied, with some deriving from pro-Kremlin influence campaigns, others from satirical websites, and others from TikTok “engagement farms” looking for clicks.
Most of the falsehoods relating to Trump (14) were largely circulated by pro-Trump social media users, who typically cited the false claim as evidence of Trump’s support for the middle class. For example, the claim that Trump eliminated taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits was pushed by a number of conservative influencers and one member of Congress, Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna, who wrote on Feb. 26, “Congratulations America, tonight we finally put an end to tax on tips and tax on overtime!” It collectively generated more than 18.7 million views and 302,400 likes across social platforms. Rep. Luna’s office did not respond to a NewsGuard email requesting comment.
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