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Help choose PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year

By Bill Adair
November 26, 2012

It’s time to choose the Lie of the Year — and PolitiFact, the national politics fact-checking website, would like your help.

As we’ve done for the past three years, we will be selecting the year’s most significant falsehood. We have begun putting together a list of contenders and would love to hear your suggestions before we unveil the list of finalists.

You can email your suggestions to truthometer@politifact.com or tweet them to us @PolitiFact.

We’ll announce our finalists in about a week.

Our Sources

See our fact-checks for sources.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Bill Adair
John Kitzhaber
stated on July 18, 2014 in a campaign debate:
Oregon "is the most trade-dependent state in the nation"
False
Donald Rumsfeld
stated on February 17, 2013 in an op-ed in the "Washington Post":
Says wrestling was a favorite sport of Abraham Lincoln.
True
Rick Perry
stated on January 8, 2012 in a Republican debate in New Hampshire.:
Says President Barack Obama "is a socialist."
Pants on Fire!
C.W. Bill Young
stated on February 20, 2010 in a speech to Pinellas County Republicans.:
The Democratic health care plan is a "government takeover of our health programs."
Pants on Fire!
Barack Obama
stated on January 27, 2010 in his State of the Union address:
The "pay-as-you-go law ... was a big reason why we had record surpluses in the 1990s."
Half-True
Dick Cheney
stated on December 30, 2009 in a statement to Politico.:
President Obama "doesn't ... want to admit we're at war."
Pants on Fire!
Barack Obama
stated on September 20, 2009 in an interview on Meet the Press:
"Mathematically, the White Sox can still get in the playoffs."
True

Help choose PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year

Jon Ossoff
stated on June 27, 2026 in a campaign speech:









Donald Trump
stated on June 23, 2026 in a speech in Macungie, Pennsylvania:

David Jolly
stated on June 11, 2026 in a speech:

Marsha Blackburn
stated on June 19, 2026 in an X post:





Steve Robinson
stated on June 5, 2026 in Fox News “The Ingraham Angle”:

Josh Hokit
stated on June 14, 2026 in a UFC event at the White House:


Donald Trump
stated on May 22, 2026 in remarks in Suffern, New York: