Debunked: Setting the Record Straight
Viral claims, famous misquotes, and persistent myths corrected with primary sources
10 topics“Trump called neo-Nazis and white supremacists 'very fine people' after the Charlottesville rally, proving he's a racist.”
NewRead the full transcript. In the same press conference, Trump explicitly said 'I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists — because they should be condemned totally.' He was referring to people on both sides of the statue removal debate.
“Trump put kids in cages at the border. He's the one who started separating families and locking children in detention facilities.”
NewThe 'cages' — chain-link holding facilities — were built in 2014 under Obama. The Associated Press confirmed the viral photos were from 2014. Family separation increased under Trump's zero-tolerance policy but the facilities predated him.
“Trump banned Muslims from entering the country. It was a discriminatory travel ban targeting people for their religion.”
NewThe travel restrictions covered 7 countries (later revised to 8), representing about 12% of the world's Muslim population. The 5 largest Muslim-majority countries — Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Turkey — were never affected. The Supreme Court upheld it 5-4.
“Michael Brown was shot with his hands up saying 'don't shoot.' He was murdered by a racist cop while trying to surrender.”
NewThe Obama DOJ's own investigation concluded that the 'hands up, don't shoot' narrative was not supported by credible evidence. Multiple witnesses who initially supported the story recanted. The physical evidence was consistent with Officer Wilson's account.
“Women earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. This proves systemic discrimination against women in the workplace.”
NewThe 77-cent figure compares all men to all women without controlling for job type, hours worked, experience, or career choices. When you control for these factors, the gap shrinks to 2-5 cents — and even that may reflect negotiation differences rather than discrimination.
“AR-15s are weapons of war that have no place on our streets. They were designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”
NewThe AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle — one trigger pull, one round — functionally identical to many common hunting rifles. No military in the world uses the AR-15. It's the most popular rifle in America, owned by an estimated 20+ million people, used overwhelmingly for sport and home defense.
“Sure, Republicans freed the slaves, but then they became the party of racism. The parties completely switched in the 1960s.”
NewIf the parties 'switched,' why did only 1 of 21 Democratic senators who voted against the Civil Rights Act become Republican? The South's shift was economic and suburban, happening over 30+ years. The 'switch' is a myth designed to absolve the Democratic Party's actual history.
“Nixon's Southern Strategy deliberately used racial resentment to flip the South. That's proof the Republican Party is built on racism.”
NewNixon won 49 states in 1972 — not just the South. His actual Southern gains came from suburban, middle-class voters concerned about law and order, Vietnam, and economics. The Deep South went for segregationist George Wallace in 1968, not Nixon.
“If socialism is so bad, why do Scandinavian countries have the highest quality of life? They prove that socialism works.”
NewScandinavian leaders have explicitly rejected the socialist label. Denmark's PM told Harvard: 'Denmark is far from a socialist planned economy. Denmark is a market economy.' These are capitalist countries with generous welfare states funded by high taxes on everyone, not just the rich.
“97% of scientists agree that climate change is real, man-made, and catastrophic. The science is settled, and anyone who disagrees is a denier.”
NewThe 97% figure comes from a study that counted any paper acknowledging human influence on climate — even minimal influence — as supporting the 'consensus.' Most skeptics agree humans affect climate. The debate is about magnitude, urgency, and policy — which is far from settled.