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PolitiFact's 2019 Lie of the Year coverage

National

Katie Sanders

By Katie Sanders December 16, 2019

Lie of the Year: Donald Trump's incessant claim that whistleblower got his Ukraine call 'almost completely' wrong

A look back at Lie of the Year, 2009-2018

The Silence of the Year: Hunter Biden and Burisma

10 of Donald Trump's false claims during impeachment

2019 Lie of the Year Readers’ Poll results

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

See stories.

stated on July 15, 2021 in Facebook posts:

An image shows President Joe Biden touching Olivia Rodrigo’s shoulders during a White House press briefing.

pants-fire

pants-fire

Mitch McConnell

stated on September 18, 2020 in a statement:

On confirming a Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year.

full-flop

full-flop

Instagram posts

stated on September 19, 2020 in a faked screenshot:

Says Ruth Bader Ginsburg tweeted, “I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton.”

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on September 7, 2020 in a post:

Photo shows “some of the firefighters in California fighting fires 24/7 to save people's lives and property.”

false

false

stated on September 11, 2020 in a post:

“KXL Radio in Portland reported today that Firefighters are now being shot at by suspected Antifa and BLM members.”

false

false

stated on February 1, 2020 in a post on Facebook:

Says the CEO of Camping World told Trump supporters “Frankly, don’t shop at my business.”

barely-true

barely-true

stated on June 18, 2017 in a tweet:

"The new Rasmussen Poll, one of the most accurate in the 2016 Election, just out with a Trump 50% Approval Rating. That's higher than O's #'s!"

barely-true

barely-true

stated on June 4, 2017 in a tweet:

"At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’ "

false

false

stated on May 1, 2017 in her new book:

Says John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."

false

false

stated on February 12, 2017 in an interview on ABC's "This Week":

"This issue of busing voters in to New Hampshire is widely known by anyone who’s worked in New Hampshire politics. It’s very real, it’s very serious."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on July 19, 2016 in a speech at the Republican convention:

As a senator, Hillary Clinton "paid women less than the men" in her office.

barely-true

barely-true

stated on January 19, 2016 in a town hall in Underwood, Iowa:

"I have a D-minus voting record from the NRA."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on October 22, 2015 in an op-ed in Breitbart:

"Even after Syrian troops began to shoot protesters in the streets with live ammunition in 2011, Clinton labeled Bashar al-Assad a ‘reformer.' "

half-true

half-true

stated on October 15, 2015 in a video shared on social media:

Says CNN deleted an online poll showing Bernie Sanders won the first Democratic presidential debate to help out Hillary Clinton.

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on October 4, 2015 in tweets:

Says Donald Trump’s "Make America Great Again" hats were made in China.

pants-fire

pants-fire

Instagram posts
stated on August 27, 2024 in an Instagram post:

California S.B. 1174 eliminates the requirement for voter ID at polling places.

By Sofia Ahmed • August 30, 2024
X posts
stated on August 29, 2024 in X posts:

President Joe Biden “did a campaign ad at the graves in Arlington in 2020.”

By Loreben Tuquero • August 30, 2024
X posts
stated on August 16, 2024 in a video:

Video shows “Kamala Harris describing how she can ruin lives with the 'swipe of a pen.’"

By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 30, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on August 25, 2024 in a post:

Kamala Harris’ “plan to tax unrecognized Capital Gains mean(s) if your house goes up in value you will have to pay that Tax Even if you don’t sell your House!”

By Sara Swann • August 30, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on August 25, 2024 in a Facebook post:

“There’s no such thing as menopause.”

By Madison Czopek • August 30, 2024
Instagram posts
stated on August 27, 2024 in an Instagram post:

“Hollywood actor Kurt Russell just said: ‘It is now proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden CHEATED in the 2020 election with mail-in ballots.’”

By Caleb McCullough • August 30, 2024
Kamala Harris
stated on August 22, 2024 in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention:

Former President Donald Trump "intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax ... that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year."

By Louis Jacobson • August 30, 2024
Viral image
stated on August 27, 2024 in a Facebook post:

“Kurt Russell forms a new non-woke actors alliance with Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen.”

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 30, 2024
Viral image
stated on August 23, 2024 in an X post:

Photo of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt was generated by artificial intelligence.

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 30, 2024
X posts
stated on August 28, 2024 in an X post:

C-SPAN captions for a JD Vance speech said, “Single person clapping.”

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 30, 2024