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FactCheck.org's Weekly Update

June 6, 2020

FactCheck Posts

Trump Touts Strong Jobs Report, Flubs Some Facts Posted on Friday, June 5th, 2020

In a Rose Garden address to comment on a surprisingly strong May jobs report, President Donald Trump continued to repeat false, misleading and exaggerated claims about the economy, the administration’s response to COVID-19, the border wall, veterans programs and trade with China.

The Semantics of ‘Tear Gas’ Versus ‘Pepper Spray’ Posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2020

Democratic politicians have criticized President Donald Trump for the use of “tear gas” to disperse protesters near the White House on June 1 before Trump walked to St. John’s Episcopal Church to pose for photos with a Bible. The president countered, “They didn’t use tear gas.”

Examining Biden’s Farm Bankruptcy Claim Posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020

Joe Biden claimed that farm bankruptcies increased last year “due largely to Trump’s unmitigated disaster of a tariff war.” International trade was a factor, but there were additional reasons that predate the trade war.

Trump’s False Statements About How Democratic Leaders Handled Protests Posted on Monday, June 1st, 2020

President Donald Trump has made false statements and implications about how three Democratic officials responded to violent protests that followed George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis.

Trump Can’t Designate Antifa — or Any Movement — Domestic Terrorist Organization Posted on Monday, June 1st, 2020

As some nationwide protests have turned violent, President Donald Trump pointed to the anti-fascist movement antifa, claiming: “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.” But there is no such official federal designation for domestic terrorism organizations.

Debunking False Stories

Bricks Were Placed for Construction, Not to Incite Protesters Posted on Friday, June 5th, 2020

Some viral social media posts misleadingly suggest that piles of bricks are being staged ahead of the protests over the death of George Floyd to incite violence. We reviewed five social media posts making such claims and found no evidence of staging. In many cases, the bricks had been delivered for construction projects, or had been at the sites for some time.

LEGO Temporarily Halts Marketing, Not Sales, of Police Toy Sets Posted on Friday, June 5th, 2020

LEGO isn’t discontinuing the sale of its law enforcement-themed toys, despite an erroneous social media claim. The confusion arose after the company temporarily suspended some marketing efforts — not sales — amid the U.S. protests following the death of George Floyd.

Meme Misrepresents Fauci’s Position on Vaccine Trials Posted on Friday, June 5th, 2020

A viral meme falsely suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci supports administering a COVID-19 vaccine before clinical trials are completed. Fauci supports the manufacture of vaccines while trials are underway — but only administering the vaccine once the trials are over and it is deemed effective and safe.

Viral Posts Share Old, Edited White House Photo in Dark Posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2020

Across social media, posts falsely claim to show a picture of the White House in the dark — purportedly “for the first time” in history — as protesters marched outside on May 31. But the image is actually from 2014 and was edited to appear darker.

Post on Floyd Protests Uses Old Vandalism Photos Posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

A Facebook post about protests taking place in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death is criticizing protesters for “destroying the cemeteries” of veterans. But three of the four images cited are old and have nothing to do with the protests. 

Two Former Officers Involved in Floyd’s Death Are Not In-Laws Posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020

Contrary to social media posts, Kellie Chauvin, the estranged wife of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, is not the sister of Tou Thao, another former officer involved in the events that led to Floyd’s death, according to Kellie Chauvin’s lawyer.

Viral Tweet ‘Alert’ Wasn’t From Antifa Posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020

A tweet shared widely online during the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd — espousing a plan to bring violence to “residential areas… the white hoods” — was made to appear to be from antifa, the anti-fascist coalition. But the account behind the tweet was actually linked to a white nationalist group, according to Twitter.

Officer Charged in Floyd’s Death Hasn’t Committed Suicide Posted on Monday, June 1st, 2020

A viral story shared on social media is falsely claiming that Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd, committed suicide in his prison cell.

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