Barack Obama Coverage

Fact check: DeSantis says Trump deported fewer people than Obama

"Trump promised the largest deportations in history," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Jan. 2 during a town hall hosted by Gray Television. "He deported less, believe it or not, than Barack Obama even did."

Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact reporter

Fact check: Biden says Obama spent 'hundreds of millions' to bury Florida power lines

After Hurricane Idalia knocked out power to about a half million northern Florida homes and businesses in late August, President Joe Biden said it would have been worse if the federal government hadn't improved the state's electrical grid.

Amy Sherman, PolitiFact reporter

Fact check: Have there been more border encounters under Biden than under Trump and Obama 'combined?'

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., on his quest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said: "There have been more illegal encounters under Biden than the previous two administrations combined."

Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact reporter

Fact check: Did Donald Trump rack up more debt than any other president?

In a May 12 tweet, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote: "Trump ran up more debt than any other President in American history."

Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact reporter

Fact check: Did Trump rail rule repeal affect Ohio train derailment?

After a train derailment caused a toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, a liberal advocacy group claimed: "Obama imposed stricter rules on trains carrying toxins. Trump killed them." PolitiFact checks that claim.

Sara Swann, PolitiFact reporter

Fact check: Trump accuses Obama of keeping classified documents

On Aug. 12, former President Donald Trump issued a statement saying: "President Barack Hussein Obama kept 33 million pages of documents, much of them classified." PolitiFact checks his claim.

Jon Greenberg and Amy Sherman, PolitiFact reporters

Biden looking to open up Obamacare subsidies to more families

More families would be able to access Affordable Care Act subsidies next year, under a rule proposed by the Biden administration Tuesday.

By Tami Luhby, CNN

Fact check: Obama says filibuster allows 30% of population to control senate majority

Former President Barack Obama said, "The filibuster, if it does not get reformed, still means that maybe 30% of the population potentially controls the majority of Senate seats." PolitiFact checks his claim.

Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact reporter

Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen launch Spotify podcast

'Renegades: Born in the USA,' will span eight episodes with the first two episodes released alongside the announcement.

Obamas producing new Netflix projects

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle revealed a new slate of projects for Netflix.

Transition from one president to another shouldn't be political, former federal official says

Former Greensboro City Manager Denise Roth helped oversee the transition from the Obama administration to the Trump administration in 2016 as chief of the federal General Services Administration.

Fact check: Biden wrongly says Obama policies released 38,000 prisoners

The federal prison population shrunk under the Obama administration, but PolitiFact found the decline was actually about 12,000 people from the start to the end of Obama's presidency.

Bill McCarthy, PolitFact reporter

Fact check: Did Tillis flip-flop on Supreme Court appointments?

In 2016, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis argued that his chamber shouldn't confirm a Supreme Court nominee in an election year. In 2020, he ignored that argument even though the General Election had already started in North Carolina when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died.

Paul Specht, PolitiFact reporter

Former President Barack Obama harshly criticizes Trump at campaign rally for Biden

Former President Barack Obama held his first 2020 campaign rally on behalf of his former Vice President Joe Biden. And he dropped the gloves... leveling a blistering criticism of President Trump, in both personal and policy terms.

Fact check: Trump exaggerates number of vets who died in VA scandal

President Donald Trump parried an attack on his COVID-19 track record with an attack of his own on Democratic nominee Joe Biden. "Joe, you've had 308,000 military people dying because you couldn't provide them proper health care in the military," Trump said Sept. 29 at the first presidential debate. "So don't tell me about this."

Jon Greenberg, PolitiFact reporter

Barack Obama's memoir, 'A Promised Land,' to be released in November

Penguin Random House announced that former President Obama's memoir will be released worldwide on Nov. 17 in 25 languages.

Fact check: In Charlotte, Trump repeats false claim about Obama spying

On night three of the Democratic National Convention, former President Barack Obama charged that President Donald Trump has shown "no interest" in taking his job seriously. "Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't," Obama said. As Obama spoke, Trump tweeted. "He spied on my campaign, and got caught!" Trum

Jon Greenberg, PolitiFact reporter

Obama delivers DNC speech calling on Americans to defend democracy, bashes Trump's presidency

Former President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention that called on the America to defend democracy, and directly called out the current President Donald Trump. Obama said that Trump has, "no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves."

In his eulogy, Obama connects Lewis' life work to political fights of today: 'America was built by John Lewises'

Former President Barack Obama eulogized civil rights icon John Lewis on Thursday before the late congressman's body is laid to rest in Atlanta, drawing a comparison between the battles Lewis participated in during the Civil Rights Movement and the current protests for racial justice happening across America.

By Clare Foran and Devan Cole, CNN

Trump administration challenges Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court late Thursday to overturn the Affordable Care Act -- a move that, if successful, would bring a permanent end to the health insurance program popularly known as Obamacare and wipe out coverage for as many as 23 million Americans.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times

Did the Trump administration undermine police oversight efforts?

As part of protests across the country, people are calling for more oversight of police departments. In a recent interview, Senator Kamala Harris said President Obama tried to do just that, but that progress stopped after Donald Trump became president. Travis Fain is here to review her claim for PolitiFact.

Fact check: Kamala Harris' claim about Donald Trump and investigations of police misconduct

As part of protests across the country, people are calling for more oversight of police departments. In a recent interview, Senator Kamala Harris said President Obama tried to do just that, but that progress stopped after Donald Trump became president. Travis Fain is here to review her claim for PolitiFact.

Obama on death of George Floyd: 'This shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America'

Former President Barack Obama on Friday weighed in on the death of a black man, George Floyd, in police custody that has sparked protests across the country.

By Kate Sullivan and Jeff Zeleny, CNN

Fact check: viral Facebook post says Obama wiretapped Trump Tower

A widespread Facebook post is recycling the false claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped then-candidate Donald Trump -- and comparing that unsubstantiated allegation to the scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon. The post has been re-circulating as Trump accuses Obama of an unspecified crime.

Bill McCarthy, PolitiFact reporter

Fact check: GOP attack ad distorts Biden's words

A new video launched by the Republican National Committee suggests Democrats are pushing a "radical plan to change our elections" through widespread mail-in voting. But the clips of Democratic leaders are removed from the context of what they were talking about and ignore Obama's support for voting by mail in general at the time.

Amy Sherman, PolitiFact reporter