​Fact Check: Did Trump sign a law banning child support recipients from claiming their children on tax returns? 

24/01/2025
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12:25
CSTA bizarre rumor has been circulating online, claiming that Donald Trump signed a law barring child support recipients from claiming their children on tax returns. This misinformation caused quite a stir on social media, with heated debates over tax laws and child support responsibilities. However, the claim is entirely false.The rumor gained traction after TikToker William Elston, who has a combined 300,000 followers across platforms, posted a video falsely claiming that Trump tweeted about this supposed new law. Elston stated, “If you put your baby daddy on child support, the baby daddy now gets all of the income tax.” His video quickly went viral, racking up over 12 million views and sparking intense conversations about tax rights. Reactions to the claim varied widely. Some celebrated the idea, like a user on X (formerly Twitter) who wrote, “The double-dip party is over… next year ya done.” Others took a more critical stance, warning against sharing unverified information. For instance, @ksb1908 said, “After a quick fact-check, I had to tell everyone sending it to me it wasn’t true. I can’t believe people really get their news from TikTok!”What’s the truth? No such law exists. Snopes, a respected fact-checking organization, thoroughly examined Trump’s recent executive actions and social media posts, concluding there’s zero evidence to support the claim. “We rate this claim as false,” the site reported. In reality, Trump’s second-term policies focus on various controversial topics, but changes to child tax credit laws tied to child support are not part of his agenda.Adding to the drama, Elston later admitted that he fabricated the story. “That Trump, child support stuff? I made it up,” he confessed in a follow-up video. Despite his admission, the damage was done-misinformation spread far and wide, and debates continued even after the hoax was exposed.While some dismissed the claim as nonsense, others used it to highlight how easily misinformation can spread. One frustrated user wrote, “Ignorant people have turned Trump into this fantasy charitable figure… this is why fact-checking matters.”This rumor may have been debunked, but it serves as a reminder to verify claims before believing or sharing them. As Elston’s hoax showed, not everything trending online is rooted in truth, and fact-checking is more critical than ever.