Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content FactCheck.org® A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center ![\\"Become](\\" mini.png\\"/) ![\\"Follow](\\" twitter.png\\"/) ![\\"Get](\\" ![\\"Follow](\\" instagram-1.png\\"/) ![\\"Sign](\\" ![\\"Help](\\" FactCheck.org® * Home * Articles * Featured Posts * FactCheck Posts * SciCheck * En Español * 2024 elections * Players Guide 2024 * Debunking Viral Claims * Ask a Question * Ask FactCheck * Ask SciCheck * Donate * Topics * President Biden * Donald Trump * Kamala Harris * JD Vance * Tim Walz * health * Coronavirus * immigration * climate change * View All * About Us * Our Mission * Our Process * Our Funding * Our Staff * Undergraduate Fellows * Awards * Request a Correction * Contact Us * Search * More * Viral Claims * Subscribe * Instagram * Threads * YouTube * X (Twitter) * Facebook * TikTok * FactCheck On the Air * Mailbag Debunking Viral Claims # Trump Didn’t Tweet Threat to Withhold Relief from Critics By Angelo Fichera Posted on March 19, 2020 * * * * * ##### Quick Take Facebook and Instagram users are sharing a fake tweet attributed to President Donald Trump that suggests the president’s critics won’t get direct government payments to ease the financial burden of the coronavirus pandemic. ##### Full Story As the White House and Congress work on a massive stimulus package to address the novel coronavirus pandemic — which could result in payments to individual taxpayers — social media users are spreading a fabricated tweet attributed to President Donald Trump that suggests such aid could be withheld from his critics. Trump never posted the tweet in question. “Yes, I ordered the Treasury Secretary to send checks to Americans!” the fake post reads. “First however, we will go through your social media history from the last 4 years and search for any post with #NotMyPresident in it. I wouldn’t think of offending you with a check if I’m not your president! #MAGA.” A quick search on Trump’s Twitter feed shows no trace of that tweet, which is dated March 17 at 4:13 p.m. We also couldn’t find it in the Trump Twitter Archive, which collects the president’s tweets — including those that have been deleted. The archive shows nearly 50 posts that day on Trump’s account, most of which were re-tweets. ![\\"\\"](\\" The fictitious tweet may be intended as a joke meant to needle Trump’s critics, but if so, comments show that was not clear to everyone who encountered it. One post of the doctored screenshot was shared on Instagram by the well- followed radio host Charlamagne Tha God and was liked by more than 61,000 users. Among the comments on the post, one user said: “This man’s level of petty is absurd.” Another wrote: “Does this mean I can stop paying taxes cuz he’s not my president.” The fake tweet was shared by many on Facebook, too. It’s worth noting that the payments are part of a package to assist Americans and stabilize the U.S. economy that is still being worked out by the administration and legislators; it is not the president’s decision unilaterally. The $1 trillion proposal drafted by the White House calls for $500 billion for such payments. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on March 19 that payments could amount to $1,000 per adult and $500 per child — meaning a family of four could receive $3,000 — and could be issued in the coming weeks, if the necessary legislation passes. Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here. ##### Sources “Mnuchin on the Fed and Trump’s efforts to protect the US economy.” Fox Business. YouTube. 19 Mar 2020. “Stage 3 Proposal.” U.S. Department of the Treasury. Accessed 19 Mar 2020. Trump, Donald (@realDonaldTrump). Twitter. Accessed 19 Mar 2020. Trump Twitter Archive. Trumptwitterarchive.com. Accessed 19 Mar 2020. * Categories * Debunking Viral Claims * Location * National * Issue * coronavirus * COVID-19 * People * Donald Trump Previous StoryPrank Posts Mislead on Direct Government Payments for Coronavirus Next StoryFalse Claim That Pelosi Withheld Coronavirus Funds Over Abortion Ask SciCheck Q: Are wind farms harmful to the environment? A: Like all energy sources, wind farms have some negative environmental impacts. 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A screenshot purports to show a tweet from President Donald Trump that says before the US issues financial assistance to individuals to deal with the coronavirus pandemic we will go through your social media history from the last 4 years and search for any post with in it