Debunking misinformation about Donald Trump's conviction in hush money trial | Fact check
Joedy McCrearyThe first felony conviction of a former U.S. president has spawned a lot of discussion that strays from reality.
A jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 charges of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The verdict against the Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee – and the effect it could have on the November election – led to the online spread of confusion and some outright falsehoods.
Some social media users questioned the nature of instructions New York Judge Juan Merchan gave the jurors. Others took fabricated images and videos as legitimate. And Trump himself is apparently confused on the maximum sentence he is facing.
Here's a roundup of fact-checks about the jury's verdict and its aftermath from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team.
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Claim: Post implies Biden can pardon Trump
Our rating: Missing Content
The implied claim is wrong. Biden cannot pardon Trump because it is a state-level case in New York. Presidents only have the power to pardon federal offenses. Read more.
Claim: Trump faces up to 187 years in prison after conviction
Our rating: False
This claim Trump made in his May 31 press conference is way off base. Each of the 34 counts Trump was convicted of individually has a maximum sentence of four years. Sentences can be imposed consecutively – meaning they must be served one after the other – but New York has a 20-year maximum consecutive sentence for Class E felonies. Read more
The claim: Trump can run for president but he is ineligible to vote in 2024 election
Our rating: Partly false
The post is right that Trump's felony conviction in New York doesn't preclude him from running for president. The U.S. Constitution doesn't explicitly bar felons from serving as president. But the post overreaches when it comes to whether Trump will be able to vote in the 2024 election. Legal experts said if Trump is not in prison come Election Day, he should be able to vote in Florida, where he lives. Read more
Claim: The jury in Trump's hush money trial did not need a unanimous verdict to convict
Our rating: False
Each conviction on the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records required a unanimous verdict from the jury. Read more
Claim: Post implies video of crowd celebrating Trump’s conviction is real
Our rating: Missing context
This is an altered version of a video that originally showed a crowd celebrating England’s last-minute soccer goal against Wales in the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as the Euro 2016. It has since become a meme template used to show supposed reactions to various news events. Read more
Claim: Image shows police taking Trump into custody
Our rating: Altered
The image was generated with artificial intelligence, according to experts and an online detection tool. Police did not take Trump into custody after his May 30 conviction. He remains free pending sentencing July 11. Read more
Claim: Fox News didn't report on Trump's guilty verdict in hush money case
Our rating: False
Fox News reported on the former president's conviction across several platforms. The screenshot of the broadcast about Taco Bell dates back to 2020. Read more
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