Fact check: Trump did not sign a ‘child support law’ that prevents mothers from claiming their kids on taxes
A rumor that Donald Trump was signing a bill that would bar child support recipients from claiming the child on their tax returns has been circulating.
It’s been 24 hours since Donald Trump was officially sworn into office as the 47th U.S. president, and misinformation is already swirling after the president signed a flurry of executive orders that shook up Washington. One alarming rumor on social media suggested that Trump signed a new tax law barring any recipients of child support (which are most likely to be women) from claiming their children on tax returns.
In the days before the inauguration, a video of two men discussing the supposed new law began circulating on Instagram.
“Trump just tweeted if you put your baby father on child support, you can’t claim income tax — only he can,” a man speaking in the video explains.
“When you put your baby father on child support, you no longer can claim your child, only the father can only one of y’all can claim your child,” he continued. “If he paying child support, you can’t claim the kids, only he can.”
The men in the video weren’t the only ones believing the rumor. A man posted a similar claim in another video uploaded to YouTube as plenty of others continued spreading the rumor across social media platforms.
“Trump is passing a law if you put the child father on child support you can’t claim the child during taxes- only the father can who’s on child support,” one user began in a post on Threads. “I agree with this wholeheartedly, especially for fathers who are in their children’s life.”
Reactions to the rumor were mixed, as posts ranged from braggadocious by some baby’s fathers to shock and concern from others. Many cited supposed posts made by Trump himself on his various social media accounts, including Truth Social and X, without linking to or showing screencaps of any such posts.
While no such law was among the significant number of executive actions taken by Trump during his first day, the fact-checking outlet Snopes has also found zero proof of any such child support law. The website combed through Trump’s social media posts, particularly leading up to the inauguration, and turned up nothing.
“As such, we rate this claim as false,” the entity explained.
There has been discussion surrounding the fact that a child tax credit, presently $2,000 for each qualifying child, could decrease under a Trump second term if he does not move to extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA) legislation’s expiration date in 2025.
Given that many of the rumor’s reactions were celebratory, it begs the question of where exactly it came from and the intention behind it.
While there are certainly many inflammatory and notable executive orders and proposed changes to take note of coming out of the executive office of the president, this one looks to be a hoax.
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