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Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke November 21, 2019

No, Chris Wallace didn’t call Donald Trump a bunch of names on Twitter

President Donald Trump drew quick news coverage when he tweeted criticism of Fox News host Chris Wallace. 

".@SteveScalise blew the nasty & obnoxious Chris Wallace (will never be his father, Mike!) away on Chris’s lowest rated (unless I’m on it) morning show," Trump said on Nov. 17. "This kind of dumb and unfair interview would never have happened in the @FoxNews past. Great job Steve!"

According to a Nov. 20 Facebook post making the rounds, Chris Wallace sent out a scathing Twitter response: 

"@realDonaldTrump And you’ll never be your father either, (Fred Trump), a self made Billionaire," the post appears to show Wallace tweeting at Trump. "You’re a fraud. A charlatan. A thug. A loser. A trust fund baby. A punk. A serial adulterer. A pussy grabber. My job is to be a journalist, not a flunky and a propaganda arm for your criminal behavior and corruption. If you want propaganda, go watch Hannity, Ingram, Pirro, and Tucker who do nothing but kiss your ass."

The quote is fabricated. Wallace never tweeted that — and he doesn’t appear to have a public, verified Twitter account.

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This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) 

There are some clues, like how the supposed tweet in the Facebook post is center justified whereas Trump’s real tweet is left justified. Or how the @FoxNewsSunday handle is made to look like it is Chris Wallace’s personal Twitter account, when it’s actually the official account for the Fox show he hosts.

On Nov. 17, Fox News Sunday only tweeted clips from the show — including the segment featuring House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., discussing the impeachment hearings. The account also retweeted country singer Toby Keith, who was promoting an upcoming appearance on the show. The account didn’t reply to anyone that day, nor since. Additionally, we found no personal Twitter account for Wallace.

A Fox News host aggressively attacking the president would have garnered the same kind of attention as Trump’s salvo, but we could find none. 

We rate this Facebook post Pants on Fire!

 

Our Sources

Facebook post, Nov. 20, 2019

Donald Trump tweet, Nov. 17, 2019

Fox News Sunday Twitter account, Nov. 17, 2019

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No, Chris Wallace didn’t call Donald Trump a bunch of names on Twitter

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