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PolitiFact’s 2015 Lie of the Year coverage

National
Angie Drobnic Holan
By Angie Drobnic Holan
December 29, 2015

Here are links and summaries of our 2015 Lie of the Year coverage.

The 2015 Lie of the Year: the campaign misstatements of Donald Trump. Read our special report on Trump’s inaccurate statements and why they were the most significant misstatements of the year. We also looked at how Trump views political rhetoric and the art of persuasion.

Donald Trump responds to Lie of the Year, says he’s ‘been proven right.’ Hours after seeing his campaign statements were named the 2015 Lie of the Year, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump took aim at PolitiFact, calling us a “totally left-wing group.”

Mailbag: Lie of the Year edition. Readers weigh in with criticism and praise of our selection of the campaign misstatements of Donald Trump as the 2015 Lie of the Year.

Lie of the Year Readers’ Poll results. Every year, our readers pick their most significant fact-check out of a list of finalists. The complete results show Trump winning first, second and third.

A look back at previous years’ winners. We recap the Lies of the Year from 2009 to 2014.

 
Our Sources

See stories for full sources

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Angie Drobnic Holan
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
stated on September 27, 2020 a speech:
Says Amy Coney Barrett “has a written track record, disagreeing adamantly with the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ACA. In fact, she publicly criticized Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion upholding the law eight years ago.”
Mostly True
By Angie Drobnic Holan • September 28, 2020
Instagram posts
Instagram posts
stated on September 22, 2020 an Instagram post:
Like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, Amy Coney Barrett has said her “end goal is to end the separation of church and state & build a ‘Kingdom of God’ in the United States.”
False
By Angie Drobnic Holan • September 27, 2020
Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar
stated on March 23, 2019 a speech:
Says that the Council on American-Islamic Relations was founded in response to 9/11.
False
By Angie Drobnic Holan • April 15, 2019
Mike Pence
Mike Pence
stated on September 4, 2016 an interview on "Meet the Press":
Says Hillary Clinton "wants to increase Syrian refugees to this country by 550 percent."
True
By Angie Drobnic Holan • September 4, 2016
Antonio Sabato Jr.
Antonio Sabato Jr.
stated on July 19, 2016 an interview with ABC News:
Says President Barack Obama is "absolutely" a Muslim.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on June 22, 2016 a speech in New York City:
Says Hillary Clinton "said she was under attack (in Bosnia) but the attack turned out to be young girls handing her flowers."
True
By Angie Drobnic Holan, Jon Greenberg • June 22, 2016
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
stated on January 17, 2016 an interview on "Meet the Press":
Hostages were released as soon as Ronald Reagan took office because Iran perceived that America was "no longer under the command of someone weak."
Pants on Fire!
By Angie Drobnic Holan, Louis Jacobson • January 17, 2016
Ben Carson
Ben Carson
stated on September 27, 2015 an interview on ABC's "This Week":
"We've had examples like in Yuma County, where we've been able to stop 97 percent of the illegal (immigration) flow, and those programs, they abolish."
Mostly False
By Angie Drobnic Holan • September 27, 2015
Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
stated on October 14, 2014 a campaign ad:
Says Rick Scott changed his promise from 700,000 jobs created "on top of what normal growth would be" to just 700,000 jobs.
True
By Angie Drobnic Holan • October 14, 2014
Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
stated on March 3, 2014 in an interview on CNN:
On the economic stimulus.
Half Flip
By Angie Drobnic Holan • September 30, 2014
Americans For Tax Reform
Americans For Tax Reform
stated on April 14, 2014 in a press release:
"Obama has proposed 442 tax hikes since taking office."
Mostly False
By Angie Drobnic Holan, Tim Ryan • April 22, 2014
National Republican Congressional Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
stated on February 12, 2014 a television ad:
"300,000 Floridians will lose their current health plans" because of Obamacare, a plan Alex Sink supports.
Half-True
By Angie Drobnic Holan, Amy Sherman • February 14, 2014
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano
stated on August 27, 2013 a speech at the National Press Club:
The 2010 DREAM Act failed despite "strong bipartisan support."
Mostly False
By Angie Drobnic Holan • August 28, 2013
Chain email
Chain email
stated on May 29, 2013 a chain email:
Says the word "Dhimmitude" is on page 107 of the health care law and means "Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance."
Pants on Fire!
By Angie Drobnic Holan • May 30, 2013
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
stated on May 3, 2013 a position on legislation:
On an early date for Florida's presidential primary
Full Flop
By Angie Drobnic Holan • May 9, 2013

PolitiFact’s 2015 Lie of the Year coverage

Clear
TikTok posts
TikTok posts
stated on una publicación en TikTok:
Estas imágenes no son de personas infectadas con el hantavirus, fueron sacadas de contexto
False
By Maria Briceño • May 13, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on on May 7, 2026 in remarks to reporters:
Trump is wrong: Gas prices have reached near record highs, not ‘come down very substantially’
False
May 11, 2026
Liz Krueger
Liz Krueger
stated on March 5, 2026 an op-ed:
Proposed data centers in New York state would use “approximately double the energy usage of all households in the state combined.”
Mostly False
By Conor Amendola, Ryan Lombardi • May 7, 2026
X posts
X posts
stated on May 6, 2026 a social media post:
“California only has ‘enough’ oil and gas supply to meet demand for the next six weeks.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • May 7, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on May 4, 2026 a White House event:
“Consumer confidence is way up."
False
By Louis Jacobson • May 6, 2026
Sam Sutton
Sam Sutton
stated on March 11, 2026 a rally:
From January 2025 to January 2026, “hate crimes in New York City increased by 152%”
Mostly True
By Emma Gavazzi • May 5, 2026
Fentrice Driskell
Fentrice Driskell
stated on April 29, 2026 an interview:
“Under federal law, you cannot engage in partisan gerrymandering.”
False
By Samantha Putterman • May 1, 2026
Instagram posts
Instagram posts
stated on April 26, 2026 una publicación en Instagram:
Imagen muestra que “950 inmigrantes derrumbaron el muro fronterizo entre México y Estados Unidos intentando ingresar a Estados Unidos” en abril 2026.
False
By Maria Briceño • April 30, 2026
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on April 22, 2026 a Senate committee hearing:
“As a result of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' 15 million Americans have been thrown off the healthcare that they need."
Mostly False
By Amy Sherman • April 30, 2026
Tim Scott
Tim Scott
stated on April 26, 2026 an X post:
“Secret Service remains unpaid” during the partial government shutdown.
False
By Louis Jacobson • April 29, 2026
Pine Tree Results PAC
Pine Tree Results PAC
stated on April 26, 2026 an ad:
“Graham Platner blames Maine’s women for getting raped because he says they get f----- up drunk"
Half-True
By Amy Sherman • April 29, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on April 26, 2026 social media posts:
Video shows “unedited raw security footage” of the shooter at the April 25 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
False
By Maria Briceño • April 29, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
stated on April 23, 2026 remarks at the White House:
“We are right now producing more oil than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.”
Mostly True
By Louis Jacobson • April 29, 2026
Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantis
stated on April 27, 2026 an interview with Fox News Digital:
Since the 2020 census, Florida has "moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage."
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson, Samantha Putterman • April 29, 2026
Social Media
Social Media
stated on April 26, 2026 publicaciones en redes sociales:
“Tras el atentado a Trump”, en la cena de corresponsales de la Casa Blanca el 25 de abril, “Irán lanza un mensaje fuerte: ‘no le crean nada, miente’”.
False
By Maria Briceño • April 28, 2026
Jay Collins
Jay Collins
stated on April 20, 2026 a campaign document:
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds voted "against three pay raises for military service members, including the largest pay raise for the military in 22 years."
Mostly False
By Samantha Putterman • April 23, 2026
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on April 22, 2026 testimony to the Senate Finance Committee:
"There's two ways of calculating percentage" decreases. “If you have a $600 drug and you reduce it to $10, that's a 600% reduction."
Pants on Fire!
By Louis Jacobson • April 23, 2026
Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
stated on April 18, 2026 comments at the Oval Office:
“With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of (opioid) addiction. With two doses, it's more than 90%.”
Mostly False
By Grace Abels • April 22, 2026
X posts
X posts
stated on April 21, 2026 an X post:
“Newly released FOIA door logs show that former President Joe Biden didn't enter the Oval Office once after the 2024 election.”
Pants on Fire!
By Maria Briceño • April 22, 2026
Chris Wright
Chris Wright
stated on April 19, 2026 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union":
Solar and wind have not reached “3% of global energy.”
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • April 22, 2026
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