Did then-President-Elect Biden make a protocol blunder as he entered the Capitol building on inauguration day by failing to salute the Marines who were standing by the doors? Had someone tried to coach him through the use of an earpiece and the message failed to register? No, that's not true: It would not have been proper protocol at that time…

Did Joe Biden swear his presidential oath on the "Masonic Illuminati Bible"? No, that's not true: Biden's hand was on a family Bible that had been in his family for 128 years when he took the presidential oath of office at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021. The claim appeared as a post (archived here) where it was published…

Do National Guard troops need the hotel rooms President Trump reportedly offered them in DC? No, that's a claim that's missing context and an assertion without evidence: Photos of troops reportedly forced into the garage of the Capitol Building were on a rest break, they were not ordered to sleep there. "All guard members who come here have appropriate lodging…

Did the "Act of 1871" establish the United States as a corporation? No, that's not true: The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 established a new, unified government for Washington, D.C. It "incorporated" that city, a common legal term by which areas are organized for governance by a single entity. In this case, two cities and a county were…

Did Kamala Harris put her hand on her purse when she was sworn in as vice president? No, that's not true: Her hand was on a Bible. In fact, she used two Bibles in the ceremony -- one atop the other -- as can clearly be seen in photographs. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on…

Did the Arizona Senate President release evidence of voter fraud one hour after Joe Biden was sworn in as president? No, that's not true: Arizona Senate President Karen Fann released a statement about an ongoing legal battle with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, but there was no mention in the statement about voter fraud. "There is no evidence of…

Did National Guard Members 'turn their backs' on President Elect Joe Biden's Motorcade as it drove past them on the way to the inauguration? No, that's not true: This video is real and does show National Guard Members along the route the motorcade traveled facing in various directions, but the Guard Members were performing their duty as expected. To say…

Does a video published in January, 2021 show Donald Trump suggesting that his supporters will punish Congress for impeaching him a second time? No, that's not true: The video is a heavily-edited clips recorded at a February 6, 2020 prayer breakfast at which Trump grumbled about his first impeachment. The video that purports to reference the second impeachment not only…

Did President Joe Biden quietly pardon 2,617 BLM protesters in his first days in office? No, that's not true: The claim is a work of satire published by a web network that trolls conservatives. Biden did not issue any pardons in the days after his inauguration on January 20, 2021. The claim originated in an article published by dailyworldupdate.us on…

Did a congressional report "released today" on January 15, 2021 say President Joe Biden took $140 million from the U.S. Treasury, sent it to his son's private equity company and then to Joe Biden's personal account in the Cayman Islands? No, none of that's true: Though critical of the Bidens, the cited report (by Republican congressional staff) says none of…

Will Donald Trump be sworn in on March 4, 2021, as the 19th president of the United States of America? No, that's not true: Joe Biden is president. He took office on January 20, 2021, and is expected to serve for four years. Biden is the nation's 46th president. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on BitChute…

Did the motorcycle escorts in President Biden's security detail ride in a phallic formation? No, that's not true: This altered image has been circulating since 2014, and comes from televised footage of the motorcade carrying Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on his inauguration, May 7, 2012. Originally the photoshopped meme did identify it as Putin's motorcade, but in 2017…

Does gold fringe on the American Flag signal imposition of Maritime or Martial Law? No, that's not true: Gold fringe is a decorative option. Although the U.S. Flag code makes no reference to gold fringe, it has been used since 1835. In 1895 the fringe was added to the flag of all regiments of the U.S. Army. The Marine Corps…

Is death listed as a possible adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccines in use in the United States? No, that's not true: Neither the Pfizer-BioNTech nor the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, both of which the Food and Drug Administration have approved, list death as an adverse reaction, according to FDA documents. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published December…

Is no American flag flying over the White House a signal the military is in control? No, that's not true: A claim has gone viral that no White House flag means there is "selective martial law or that the president has signed the Insurrection Act." There is no publicly available record of a signal involving the American flag not flying…

Is a "China man" who stayed close to Joe Biden before his inauguration his "Chinese handler"? No, that's not true: The man identified in a video as Biden's "Chinese handler" is actually a member of the secret service team protecting the new president. The same man, seen walking close behind Biden as he exited an airplane at Joint Base Andrews…

Did outgoing President Donald Trump leave a letter for his successor, Joe Biden, that said "Joe, you know I won"? No, that's not true: The letter is not real. Speaking at the White House, Biden told reporters that Trump left him a "very generous letter." There are also several discrepancies between the fake letter and other recent letters known to…

Did Bill Gates admit he has COVID-19? No, that's not true: A headline on a 20-second video posted online claims that Gates "admits he has COVID-19." The short video is deceptively edited from a longer video of Gates speaking with the head of the TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference in mid-2020, discussing what he predicted would be the number of…

Is the redirection of the Antifa-dot-com internet domain to the White House website evidence of a connection between Antifa and President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: Anyone can register an unregistered domain name and redirect traffic to any other website. The registrant of Antifa-dot-com is secret and its redirection toward WhiteHouse.gov as of January 20, 2021 appears to be…

Is Bill Gates now America's biggest owner of farmland in the United States? Yes, that's true: Gates owns 242,000 acres of farmland, according to a forbes.com article, which referenced a landreport.com article. Total farmland in the U.S. totaled 897,400,000 in 2019, the latest available number, according to a 2020 United States Department of Agriculture report. That means Gates owns about…