🗓 2023 Fact-Checks
Statements made in 2023 by Donald Trump and his direct inner circle. Each entry includes a verdict, concise explanation, and a source link to a public fact-check or primary record.
🔎 Verdict key
- ✅ True — accurate and supported by strong evidence.
- ⚠️ Misleading — contains elements of truth but presented in a deceptive or incomplete way.
- ❌ False — factually incorrect or contradicted by reliable sources.
- ℹ️ Lacks Evidence — cannot be verified or substantiated with available data.
📍 Jump to month
🧾 Statements and rulings
— January 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 11 | China “saw” Biden’s documents and funded the Penn Biden Center; Trump’s case is the same. | ❌ False | FactCheck.org | No evidence China accessed Biden’s files; comparisons omit key differences with Trump’s records retention case. |
| Jan 17–19 | Special counsel appointments prove a “double standard” exonerating Trump. | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org | Explains distinct scopes and facts in the Trump vs. Biden probes; neither appointment implies guilt or innocence. |
— February 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb (var.) | Online posts cite Biden documents to claim Trump was “cleared.” | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org | Separate investigations with different facts; Biden team cooperated and returned items, unlike the Trump case timeline. |
— March 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24 | Grand jury probe in New York was “fake” and purely political. | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org | Explainer on the legal basis, evidence sources and process; politics claims don’t negate the factual record considered. |
— April 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4 | Post-arraignment speech accurately characterized the Manhattan case. | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org · FactCheck.org (Indictment) | Multiple distortions about the judge, venue and evidence; indictment outlines 34 counts. |
| Apr 18 | Viral all-caps Truth Social post (“deposed by an animal”) was real. | ❌ False | Reuters | Fabricated screenshot; no such post exists in official archives. |
— May 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11 | CNN Town Hall remarks (election, economy, Jan. 6) were accurate. | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org | Rapid-fire claims included numerous false/misleading assertions across topics. |
— June 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9 | Federal indictment was “just documents” and exonerates Trump. | ❌ False | FactCheck.org · DOJ (Superseding Indictment PDF) | Indictment details 37 then 40 counts incl. retention of national defense information and obstruction. |
| Jun 16 | Truth Social screenshot blaming his “old legal team” for not hiding documents was genuine. | ❌ False | Reuters | Image was fabricated; creator later said it was “satire.” |
— July 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29–31 | Trump’s $475M CNN “Big Lie” lawsuit was on track to succeed. | ❌ False | Reuters | Judge dismissed the case; CNN’s words deemed opinion protected by the First Amendment. |
— August 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1 | Jan. 6 federal charges are just “free speech.” | ⚠️ Misleading | Reuters | Indictment alleges conspiracies to defraud the U.S. and obstruct certification; not about protected speech alone. |
| Aug 25 | Circulating “mugshot” of Trump (pre-release) was authentic Fulton County booking photo. | ❌ False | Reuters | Altered from a 2020 image; real mugshot was released later by the sheriff. |
— September 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29 | Trump purchased a special-edition handgun while campaigning. | ℹ️ Lacks Evidence | FactCheck.org | Video shows him admiring the gun and saying “I want to buy one”; campaign said he didn’t purchase it. |
— October 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2 | Remarks on EVs and autos accurately described industry plans. | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org | Speech exaggerated mandates and job effects; context from automakers and policy shows inaccuracies. |
| Oct 10–13 | Clipped video accurately captured Trump’s stance on Israel/Hamas. | ⚠️ Misleading | FactCheck.org | Viral clip misrepresented his remarks; fuller context undercut the claim. |
— November 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11 | “Biden is moving the U.S. military to all-electric tanks.” (contrast claim used by Trump) | ❌ False | FactCheck.org | No such plan exists; Pentagon has no program to field all-electric tanks. |
— December 2023 —
| Date | Claim | Verdict | Source | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5 | Trump “made peace in the Middle East” with the Abraham Accords. | ⚠️ Misleading | PolitiFact | Accords normalized ties for some states, not a comprehensive peace; conflict persisted. |
| Dec 21 | Countries are “sending inmates and the mentally ill” into the U.S. | ❌ False | FactCheck.org | Recurring claim lacks evidence; highlighted among the year’s biggest falsehoods. |
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