No, Trump did not call for taking away child support recipients' tax credits | Fact check
The claim: Trump said anyone who receives child support cannot claim the child on their taxes
A Jan. 20 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) warns of a major change to tax law for people with children.
"Donald Trump says that a woman who receives child support from a man can no longer claim the child on her taxes," reads part of the post's caption.
The post was liked more than 10,000 times in a week.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: False
President Donald Trump never made such a statement, and there is no evidence of any such change to the tax code. The originator of the claim later admitted to fabricating it.
No evidence of purported change to tax code
Upon returning to office, Trump unleashed a burst of presidential actions that could upend regulations and policies throughout the federal government.
None of those actions, however, involve doing anything to change the law around child support.
The White House maintains a page dedicated to executive orders, memoranda and other presidential actions by Trump since he took office on Jan. 20, and none had anything to do with child support as of Jan. 28.
Similarly, the purported proposal is not reflected in IRS guidance for taxpayers.
Some posts claiming Trump is making the tax law change say he tweeted it, but there are no posts to his official X or Truth Social accounts that resemble what is claimed.
Fact check: No proof of State Department message telling TikTok users to delete the app
The person who first shared the claim on Jan. 15 across TikTok and other platforms followed up with a Jan. 21 video confirming he fabricated it.
“That Trump, child support stuff? I made it up,” he said. “I’m seeing duplicates of the video, people using my sound.”
The IRS website explains that only one parent, generally the custodial parent, may claim the child as a dependent and claim the child tax credit each year. This is regardless of child support.
Paste BN reached out to the Instagram user who shared the claim for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
Snopes, Lead Stories, Check Your Fact, Reuters and AFP Fact Check also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- @willieearl923, Jan. 21, Instagram post
- The White House, accessed Jan. 27, Presidential Actions
- Republican Party, accessed Jan. 24, RNC 2024 Platform
- Internal Revenue Service, revised Feb. 2011, Tax Information for Non-Custodial Parents
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
Paste BN is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.