May 2025 Fact-Checks

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.
• Lacks Evidence — cannot be verified or substantiated with available data.

Statements and rulings

Date	Claim	Verdict	Source	Summary
May 30	Oval Office remarks with Elon Musk included accurate talking points on gas prices and immigration.	Misleading	PolitiFact	PolitiFact’s live check flagged multiple false or misleading claims during the presser, including energy and immigration assertions.
May 29	Legal authority exists to impose sweeping ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs via emergency powers.	False	Reuters · AP News	The U.S. Court of International Trade blocked most tariffs; appeals saw temporary shifts, but the sweeping use of IEEPA was rejected.
May 23	Images shown as proof of “white genocide” in South Africa were from South Africa.	Misleading	The Guardian	The Guardian identified key visuals as originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and from unrelated memorial footage.
May 22	“We’re not changing Medicaid — only cutting waste, fraud and abuse.”	False	PolitiFact	The bill included substantive program changes; “waste, fraud and abuse” framing omits material impacts on coverage and costs.
May 21	“Our big, beautiful bill does not add to the deficit.” — Karoline Leavitt	False	PolitiFact	Independent estimates indicated deficit increases; the claim was contradicted by available fiscal analyses.
May 21	Evidence presented to President Ramaphosa proved a “white genocide” of farmers.	False	Reuters · The Guardian	Reuters and The Guardian found key assertions unsupported by data and misrepresentations of images and context.
May 19	“We’ve secured more than $10 trillion of new U.S. investment — thanks to me.”	Misleading	FactCheck.org	FactCheck.org found the tally blended multi‑year pledges and pre‑existing plans; attribution to the White House was overstated.
May 8	“Gas was $1.98 a gallon in many states.”	False	FactCheck.org	Analysts said Trump likely confused wholesale futures with retail prices; state averages were well above $2.60 at the time.
May 8	“If people enter illegally, there’s a different due process standard.”	Misleading	PolitiFact	Immigration proceedings differ from criminal trials, but noncitizens still have due process protections; the claim oversimplified the law.
May 5	“This market drop isn’t about tariffs — it’s Biden’s stock market.”	Misleading	FactCheck.org	FactCheck traced volatility to tariff announcements that Trump alternately embraced or disowned depending on direction.

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