It includes a screenshot of a tweet by the Associated Press, a global news organisation, that reads: “BREAKING: Donald Trump is elected president of the United States.”
The message has been viewed more than 72,000 times in just 24 hours.
On 3 November voters in the US went to the polls to choose a new president. The race was between Trump, the Republican Party candidate and current US president, and Joe Biden of the Democratic Party.
But neither candidate has won the election yet.
Votes still being counted
The Associated Press tweet is real, posted four years ago on 9 November 2016 when Trump beat Hillary Clinton to win the previous US election.
BREAKING: Donald Trump is elected president of the United States. pic.twitter.com/yJpgfsAbc6
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 9, 2016
No winner has been declared in the 2020 election so far. The votes are still being counted, and it could take days, at least, for the final tally to be determined.
There was certainly no clear winner on 4 November, when the Facebook message was posted. It is false. – Africa Check
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Further Reading
‘A time of crisis’: fact-checking South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2023 state of the nation address
As he tried to reignite the enthusiasm of a wearied nation, did the president get his facts right? As we found out, it's all in the details.
[email protected]: The challenges of working across Africa
Misinformation knows no borders and Africa Check often responds to similar false claims from country to country.
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