Fact Check: Did Trump's AI tool say he lost the 2020 election, contradicting his claim?
WASHINGTON, DC: After the Trump administration launched an artificial intelligence chatbot called America.gov, a rumor spread on social media platforms claiming that the AI said President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, contradicting his claims. The rumor has sparked mockery and speculation among online users, requiring a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump's AI contradicts his 2020 election claim
According to the viral rumor, the chatbot said former President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential vote, contradicting Trump’s longstanding claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election.
A Facebook post that shared the claim stated, “Trump just launched an AI government website called America.gov, and it immediately told everyone he lost the 2020 election."
Trump has repeatedly claimed he won the 2020 election, even as recently as September 9, saying, "We won the presidency three times," referring to the 2016 and 2024 elections he won, including the 2020 election, which Joe Biden won.
The screenshot of the chatbot’s response also spread on X, Instagram, and Threads, evoking mixed reactions from online users, with many appearing to believe it, while others dismissed it as fake.
Fact Check: The chatbot stated Joe Biden won the 2020 election
The claim is indeed true, as the chatbot stated, “Joseph R. Biden won the 2020 U.S. presidential election."
Following several attempts using varied wording, the chatbot confirmed Trump was incorrect, stating, “Yes. Certified records show Joseph R. Biden won the 2020 presidential election, 306–232 in the Electoral College. Donald Trump's statement that he won that election does not match those records.”
The response also linked the National Archives and Federal Election Commission results as evidence of Biden's victory.
Donald Trump launches an artificial intelligence chatbot
Trump announced the launch of the chatbot on Tuesday, September 29, at an event alongside AI tech leaders including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and TESLA CEO Elon Musk.
The AI-powered website is designed to give Americans quick answers about government services and serves as a new ‘front door’ to the government, aiming to make tasks such as ordering passports, changing names, and reserving national park campsites easier.
“They say this is one of the most incredible things that your government has done. I don’t think so. I think it’s damn good,” Trump said, citing the AI experts.
