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Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Obama is the former president of the United States. Obama also served as a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. Obama's father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. Obama previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Barack Obama Website

Scorecard

true

0% 124 Checks

mostly true

0% 165 Checks

half true

0% 163 Checks

mostly false

0% 71 Checks

false

0% 71 Checks

Pants on Fire

0% 9 Checks

For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact

Latest Fact-Checks By Barack Obama

Clear

Barack Obama
stated on June 1, 2021 in an interview with Ezra Klein:

“The filibuster, if it does not get reformed, still means that maybe 30% of the population potentially controls the majority of Senate seats.”

Half-True

By Louis Jacobson • June 2, 2021

Barack Obama
stated on April 14, 2020 in an endorsement announcement:

Joe Biden "already has what is the most progressive platform of any major party nominee in history."

Half-True

By Louis Jacobson • April 17, 2020

Barack Obama
stated on April 14, 2020 in his online video endorsement of Joe Biden for president:

Republicans “have shown themselves willing to cut millions off their health insurance and eliminate preexisting condition protections for millions more, even in the middle of this public health crisis."

True

By Shefali Luthra • April 16, 2020

Barack Obama
stated on May 30, 2019 in an on stage interview in Brazil:

"Anybody can buy any weapon, any time without much, if any, regulation. They buy it over the internet. They can buy machine guns."

Mostly False

By Jon Greenberg • June 4, 2019

Barack Obama
stated on November 1, 2017 in a video:

"Eight in 10 people this year can find plans for $75 a month or less."

Half-True

By Manuela Tobias • November 6, 2017

Barack Obama
stated on June 22, 2017 in a Facebook post:

The Senate bill "hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else."

Mostly True

By John Kruzel • June 26, 2017

Barack Obama
stated on March 23, 2017 in a statement on the 7th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act:

"The vast majority of marketplace enrollees have experienced no average premium hike at all."

Mostly True

By Jon Greenberg • March 23, 2017

Barack Obama
stated on November 2, 2016 in a rally in North Carolina:

The list of voters that North Carolina Republicans "tried to purge was two-thirds black and Democratic."

Half-True

By Lauren Carroll • November 7, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on September 28, 2016 in a CNN town hall:

"If you look worldwide, the number of terrorist incidents have not substantially increased."

Mostly False

By Miriam Valverde • October 13, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on September 20, 2016 in a speech to the Leader's Summit on Refugees:

"Refugees are subject to more rigorous screening than the average tourist in the U.S."

True

By Joseph Cariz • October 13, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on September 28, 2016 in a CNN town hall:

"Since I came into office … we have increased the VA budget by 85 percent."

Half-True

By Louis Jacobson • September 30, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on September 13, 2016 in a speech in Philadelphia:

Says Donald Trump's foundation "took money other people gave to his charity and then bought a six-foot-tall painting of himself."

True

By Louis Jacobson • September 13, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on August 2, 2016 in at the White House:

Because of the Trans-Pacific Partnership "we’ve got a country like Malaysia taking really serious efforts to crack down on human trafficking."

Mostly True

By Allison Graves, Neelesh Moorthy • August 5, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on August 2, 2016 in a press conference at the White House:

Thanks to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, "Vietnam is drafting and presenting unprecedented labor reforms, changing their Constitution to recognize worker organizations in Vietnam for the first time."

Half-True

By Allison Graves, Neelesh Moorthy • August 4, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on August 2, 2016 in a White House press conference:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership "knocks out 18,000 tariffs that other countries place on American products and goods."

Mostly True

By Allison Graves, Neelesh Moorthy • August 4, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on July 27, 2016 in a speech at the Democratic national convention:

"Almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago when I took office."

Mostly True

By Linda Qiu • July 28, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on July 27, 2016 in a speech at the Democratic National Convention:

"Illegal immigration and the crime rate are as low as they’ve been in decades."

Mostly True

By C. Eugene Emery Jr. • July 28, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on July 12, 2016 in a speech at a memorial service in Dallas:

"We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book."

Mostly False

By Louis Jacobson • July 14, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on June 29, 2016 in remarks in Ottawa, Canada:

"The steel industry is producing as much steel in the United States as it ever was. It’s just (that) it needs one-tenth of the workers that it used to."

False

By Louis Jacobson • July 5, 2016

Barack Obama
stated on June 29, 2016 in a press conference at the North American Leaders Summit:

"During my administration, for example, we boosted U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico by about 50 percent. That supports about 2.8 million American jobs."

Mostly False

By Neelesh Moorthy • July 5, 2016

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Latest Fact-Checks About Barack Obama

Facebook posts
stated on February 19, 2025 in a Facebook post:

“The media is showing how Obama’s birth certificate was changed! He was never born in the U.S. so he was never a real president!”

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • February 21, 2025

Threads posts
stated on January 23, 2025 in a Threads post:

A proposed constitutional amendment “would allow anyone to run for a 3rd term. Including — Barack Obama.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • January 27, 2025

Threads posts
stated on January 5, 2025 in a Threads post:

Image shows former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya.

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • January 13, 2025

Viral image
stated on October 12, 2024 in a Threads post:

Says Donald Trump posted on Truth Social it “should be illegal” and is “election interference” for Barack Obama to criticize him.

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • October 17, 2024

Viral image
stated on October 6, 2024 in a Threads post:

Says former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that former President Barack Obama “was ashamed at how much better of a golfer that I am.”

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • October 15, 2024

Viral image
stated on September 13, 2024 in an Instagram post:

Says Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said, “Who else thinks the downfall of America started with Barack Obama?”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • September 17, 2024

Donald Trump
stated on September 27, 2023 in a speech in Michigan:

When I took office, “the auto industry was on its knees gasping its last breath.” Trump administration “tariffs and taxes saved the American auto industry from extinction."

False

By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson • October 5, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on September 11, 2023 in a Facebook post:

“Obama finally reveals how personal chef drowned in mysterious pond accident.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • September 18, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on September 6, 2023 in a Facebook post:

CNN reported that “Barack Obama’s ex-boyfriend admits he was ‘prime suspect’ in gay serial killer case.”

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • September 11, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on September 1, 2023 in a Facebook post:

“Barack Obama’s late chef’s wife comes out to expose Obama family.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • September 6, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on August 25, 2023 in a video:

Tafari Campbell was “murdered.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 29, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on August 23, 2023 in a Facebook post:

“Mom of Barack Obama’s chef speaks out to expose Obama family.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 28, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on August 22, 2023 in a Facebook post:

Former President Barack Obama “reacts to chef’s wife blaming him for the death of her husband Talafi Cambell.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 24, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on August 19, 2023 in a Facebook post:

“Michelle Obama finally responds to Obama’s hidden gay secret.”

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • August 21, 2023

Facebook posts
stated on June 9, 2023 in a Facebook post:

Video shows an aide to former President Donald Trump “grilling” former President Barack Obama.

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • June 15, 2023

Viral image
stated on March 12, 2023 in a Facebook post:

Audio captures former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama debating Michelle Obama’s gender.

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • March 14, 2023

Viral image
stated on February 21, 2023 in an Instagram post:

“Every single one” of former President Barack Obama’s Medal of Freedom recipients in this video “was on Epstein’s flight logs.”

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • February 23, 2023

Viral image
stated on January 27, 2023 in an Instagram post:

A photo shows “Barack Obama dressed up as Baphomet (Lucifer).”

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • January 27, 2023

Viral image
stated on November 25, 2022 in a Facebook post:

A video shows lawmakers in compromising positions with children.

Pants on Fire!

By Ciara O'Rourke • December 16, 2022

Viral image
stated on October 29, 2022 in an Instagram post:

Hecklers chanted “f--- Joe Biden” during a Barack Obama speech.

False

By Ciara O'Rourke • October 31, 2022

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