Each occasionally, the “reality checkers” at PolitiFact publish reader feedback, and this one caught out. “Your web site appears to be largely about Trump on a regular basis,” got here one remark in an e mail. “How about rather less Trump, and write extra about another falsehood topics?”
PolitiFact’s viewers chief Ellen Hine acknowledged they’ve revealed over 1,000 “reality checks” on Trump, however then trotted out the false declare that their concentrating on is nonpartisan: “With out holding depend, we attempt to choose info to test from all sides of the political spectrum. On the identical time, we extra typically fact-check the get together that holds energy or individuals who repeatedly make attention-getting or deceptive statements.”
That “with out holding depend” is an apparent excuse. Anybody who makes an attempt to depend what they’re doing will shortly notice they’re very partisan of their concentrating on — and of their scores on reality and falsehood.
Within the first 5 months of 2025, PolitiFact carried out 68 “Fact-O-Meter” reality checks on Republicans to simply 23 on Democrats. Even so, this web site discovered the Republicans “Principally False,” “False,” or “Pants On Fireplace” liars in 85 % of these articles, whereas the Democrats landed on the false aspect solely 39 %.
However let’s concentrate on presidents. From January 1 by means of October 22, Trump landed on the False aspect of the “Fact-O-Meter” 50 out of 54 occasions, or 92.5 % of the time. The opposite 4 have been “Half True” scores, which means he was rated “True” or “Principally True” on zero events. It has been greater than a 12 months — October 19, 2024 — since Trump drew a “Principally True.”
As a substitute, PolitiFact rated Trump as a “Pants On Fireplace” liar 13 occasions this 12 months, 24 % of the time. Since they started in 2007, PolitiFact has written up 217 “Pants on Fireplace” claims on Trump, to simply seven on Joe Biden over these years.
For those who take the identical time interval in 2021, President Biden drew 34 checks, however they discovered him on the False aspect simply 14 occasions, or 41 % of the time. Biden was “True” or “Principally True” ten occasions. In these first months of the Biden presidency, the liberal Democrats of PolitiFact have been infected in opposition to Trump about election denial and the January 6 riot, so Trump drew 9 “Pants on Fireplace” scores in 24 checks throughout that point interval — and one “Half True,” and nothing on the True aspect.
The lean in concentrating on is so clearly partisan. In 2025, when the “Pants On Fireplace” tag has been utilized to people and never social-media websites, each single goal was on the appropriate. Along with the pile of assaults on Trump, the flaming checklist was Pam Bondi (twice) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elon Musk, Sen. Mike Lee, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Florida surgeon normal Joseph Ladapo, Kevin O’Leary of the TV present Shark Tank, and InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Let’s stipulate that a few of these reality checks are figuring out unfactual statements. However the aggression is overwhelming. The fitting aspect is sort of all the time improper and blatantly mendacity, whereas the left aspect supposedly stumbles into getting it improper each occasionally.
Trump is tagged as “False” when he calls New York Metropolis mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a “communist,” and Mamdani has by no means been fact-checked. Trump was “Pants On Fireplace” when he referred to as Kamala Harris a “communist,” however the Democrats can name him a “fascist” each day and there’s no checking.
This is not “unbiased fact-checking.” It is weaponized public relations.
