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'Jesus didn't have electricity' quote falsely attributed to Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Confused what the administration has really said about tariffs? We separated fact from fabrication.

by Emery Winter, Feb. 12, 2025


An aerial photo of a cargo port on a river. It's filled with colorful storage containers between lanes for vehicles and railroad tracks. A barge stacked full of these containers sits at the port.

Image courtesy of Andrej Ivanov/AFP, accessed with Getty Images


Since returning to office in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has implemented tariffs as both a political bargaining chip with other countries and as a punitive measure against foreign leaders. 

Amid resulting trade wars with historic U.S. allies, including Canada, and ever-changing policies, multiple quotes about tariffs attributed to Trump or members of his administration have circulated online. These claims have left some readers trying to separate the truth from fabrications.

Below are 10 claims we've fact-checked about what members of the second Trump administration have said about tariffs.


By Emery Winter

Emery Winter is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and previously worked for TEGNA'S VERIFY national fact-checking team. They enjoy sports and video games.

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A white woman smiles looking at the camera. A chyron says, "LEAVITT: "AVOID WOKE THINGS LIKE MATH, AAND YOU'LL LOVE THE TARIFFS." The image is centered on top of red signs that have white cameras with lines going through them.

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April 25, 2025

A fake Fox News chyron falsely attributed a quote to Leavitt that read: "Avoid woke things like ...

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Kennedy was claimed to have said the market was plummeting because investors were in a "bad mood ...

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'Jesus didn't have electricity' quote falsely attributed to Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

Feb. 12, 2025

Internet users claimed Leavitt said, "They want you to panic, but Trump wants you to remember Je ...

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