Washington Post

The Fact Checker is the fact-checking column of The Washington Post in the United States. It rates claims with Pinocchios.

Checked by Washington Post13 Aug 2024United States Climate and environment

JD Vance, GOP vice-presidential nominee

“She has said things like, ‘it’s reasonable not to have children over climate change.’ I think that’s the exact opposite message we should be sending to our young families.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: Harris did not say this.

Checked by Washington Post13 Aug 2024United States War and conflict

JD Vance, GOP vice-presidential nominee

“When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the Army and allowed his unit to go without him.”

Washington Post rated this: Lacks context

Washington Post says: Walz was aware the unit might be deployed to Iraq but he retired to run for Congress months before a formal deployment order was issued.

Checked by Washington Post11 Jul 2024United States

Joe Biden, U.S. president

“By the way, in terms of my neurological capacity, I had a physical, a neurological physical as well, in February. It’s released. I released all my records. All of them. And I have a neurological test every day.”

Washington Post rated this: Lacks context

Washington Post says: Neurologic exams were conducted but not a cognitive test. Biden has not released all of his medical records.

Checked by Washington Post11 Jul 2024United States

Ted Lieu, Member of Congress (D-Calif.)

“These [Epstein] files were released. And, like, Donald Trump is sort of all over this.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: Trump was not mentioned in the latest batch of documents

Checked by Washington Post14 Jun 2024United States

Social media posts

“Biden wanders away at G-7 summit before being pulled back by Italian PM”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: This is a deeply misleading clip

Checked by Washington Post14 Jun 2024United States Crime and security

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Independent candidate for president

“Tony Bryant testified under oath...The two men confessed repeatedly to Bryant and a third man that they had committed the crime.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: Bryant did not testify under oath, and there's little evidence of confessions

Checked by Washington Post10 Jun 2024United States War and conflict

Donald Trump, Former U.S. president

“88,000 children are missing. … And unfortunately, many of those children are dead, just like many of the hostages held by Hamas.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: The rhetoric is four pinocchios but the number is basd on a New York Times report

Checked by Washington Post3 Jun 2024United States Elections

Marco Rubio, Senator (R-Fla.)

“You have places like Georgia where liberal groups were paying people $10 per vote.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: This claim has been discredited and withdrawn

Checked by Washington Post30 May 2024United States

Donald Trump, Former U.S. president

“I’m here because of crooked Joe Biden. … This is purely his weaponization.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: There is no evidence Biden is involved

Checked by Washington Post18 May 2024United States Politics and government

Jim Jordan, Member of Congress (R-Ohio)

“Special counsel Hur said President Biden ignored the rules on classified information because he got a $8 million book advancereasons to ignore the rules.”

Washington Post rated this: Not what report says

Washington Post says: Jordan is offer an opinin, not. fact

Checked by Washington Post15 May 2024United States Economy and jobs

Joe Biden, U.S. president

“Inflation “was at 9 percent when I came in and it’s now down around 3 percent.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: Inflation was 1.4 percent when he became president

Checked by Washington Post13 May 2024United States Health

Bobby Jindal, Former Louisiana governor (R)

“Obamacare was sold on a lie. It massively increased the cost of health care in America.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: Costs slowed after Obamacare was enacted

Checked by Washington Post8 May 2024United States Education

Joe Biden, U.S. president

“I, like an awful lot of people in this audience was the first in my family to go to college.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: He was not the first to go to college

Checked by Washington Post8 May 2024United States War and conflict

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Independent candidate for president

“Then the Russians go in. They don’t send a big army. They only send 40,000 people. It’s a nation of 44 million people. They clearly do not intend to conquer Ukraine, but they want us back at the negotiating table.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: Russia wanted to decapitate the Ukrainian government.

Checked by Washington Post6 May 2024United States Economy and jobs

Donald Trump, Former U.S. president

“Biden has just declared that if he gets four more years, he will drench the middle class in the largest tax increases in the history of our country.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: Biden has repeatedly said he will not raises taxes on people making less than $400,000.

Checked by Washington Post29 Apr 2024United States

Donald Trump, Former U.S. president

“Gretchen Whitmer is handing out $500 a month in cash to anyone who accepts illegal aliens into your homes....And it’s all funded by federal taxpayer dollars distributed by crooked Joe Biden.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: This is fiction -- the program is not for illegal immigrants

Checked by Washington Post25 Apr 2024United States

Richard Grenell, Former U.S. ambassador

“[Rep. Adam Schiff] won’t tell you that he just voted to send $100 billion to foreign countries.”

Washington Post rated this: Three Pinocchios

Washington Post says: Eighty percent of the funds will stay in th USA or be used by the U.S. military

Checked by Washington Post23 Apr 2024United States War and conflict

Joe Biden, U.S. president

“Donald Trump crefused to visit a cemetery outsuide Paris in 2018 because dead soldiers were a bunch of "suckers" and "losers.”

Washington Post rated this: In dispute

Washington Post says: Some sources say the trip was canceled because of weather

Checked by Washington Post23 Apr 2024United States Elections

Donald Trump, Former U.S. president

“Very importantly, why didn’t the Federal Elections [Commission] do anything? Federal Elections took a total pass on it. They said essentially nothing was done wrong or they would have done something about it.”

Washington Post rated this: False

Washington Post says: The FEC staff wanted to investigate but the commission deadlocked in a tie vote

Checked by Washington Post5 Apr 2024United States

Bill Hagerty, Senator (R-tenn.)

“Taxpayer dollars tare being used o charter planes that move and import thousands of illegal aliens into your states.”

Washington Post rated this: Four Pinocchios

Washington Post says: No taxpayer dollars are used in this program