Political analysts at The Bulwark were gobsmacked on Tuesday after prompting the artificial intelligence feature on President Donald Trump's social media platform to fact-check some of the president's key claims.
For years, Trump has claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and that he didn't cause people to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 while Congress worked to certify the election results. He has claimed more recently that his tariff policies are not costing American taxpayers any money, a claim that several experts dispute.
Analysts at The Bulwak decided to put those claims to the test against the AI search tool on Trump's Truth Social site. The answers that the tool provided were "unexpected," according to Jared Poland, video editor at the outlet.
"We understand if you have not made it to the site to see it," Poland wrote in The Bulwark's latest "Morning Shots" newsletter. "But it’s doing something remarkable and unexpected. It’s telling the truth."
One question The Bulwark asked was about the impact of Trump's tariffs.
"Do Trump's tariffs cost the American people money?" they asked.
"Yes. Tariffs are taxes on imports that U.S. importers pay and largely pass on through higher prices," the search's answer reads.
In another prompt, The Bulwark asked if people stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 "because of Donald Trump."
“Yes. Multiple official and contemporaneous records attribute the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach to a pro‑Trump crowd mobilized around his false election‑fraud claims and pressure campaign to stop certification," Trump's AI said.
When specifically asked whether Trump "lie[d] about the 2020 election being 'rigged' and 'stolen?'" the platform gave a shocking answer.
“Yes. Courts, Trump’s own advisers, and official investigations found no evidence that the 2020 election was ‘rigged’ or ‘stolen,’ despite his repeated claims.”
They also asked how many wars Trump has ended since taking office.
“None. There is no verified instance of President Trump formally ending a war since taking office in January 2025," it replied.
