Viral image showing Fox News poll of veterans on Harris, Trump is fake

What is the claim?

A viral image circulating on social media claims to display poll results from American channel Fox News, surveying veterans' preferences between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for the upcoming U.S. presidential election. 

According to the image, the poll was conducted between August 26 and 28 and suggests the current Vice President, Harris, is more popular than the former President, Trump, among veterans, female veterans, active military, and wounded veterans. Archived posts featuring this image can be viewed here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of viral social media posts sharing the video. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the viral image is fake, and Fox News did not release any such poll data.

What are the facts?

We reviewed Fox News' poll section on their website and found no evidence of the claimed data. Additionally, there were no posts about this poll on Fox News' social media accounts.

Fox News released its latest poll results on August 28, covering data collected between August 23 and 26. This poll included four statewide surveys in the Sun Belt states: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina. Each survey sampled approximately 1,000 registered voters. 

According to Fox News, the Harris-Trump race is competitive, with Harris leading by one percentage point in Arizona and by two points in Georgia and Nevada, while Trump leads by one point in North Carolina. On average, Harris is ahead by one point across these states, with a split of 50 percent to 49 percent. This data was presented by Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier in a news segment, during which a graphic similar to the viral image was shown.

Both the viral graphic and the one from Baier’s segment feature images of Harris and Trump. However, the viral graphic's headline reads "Presidential Election," while the graphic in Baier’s segment is titled "2024 Presidential Preference." Additionally, the viral graphic replaces state names with categories like veterans, adjusts the polling dates from August 23-26 to August 26-28, and alters the percentages and fonts compared to the original graphic.

Comparison of the image to the image by Fox News. (Source: X/Fox News/Modified by Logically Facts)

Fox News confirmed to USA Today that the viral image is inaccurate. "This image is fake, and we have not published a poll with this data," Fox News spokesperson Jessica Ketner said. Logically Facts has contacted Fox News for further comment; this fact-check will be updated if a response is received.

The viral image emerged during a controversy surrounding Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on August 26. The cemetery, where service members killed in a 2021 attack during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan are buried, became the focus of criticism when Trump and his campaign allegedly violated rules prohibiting political activity on the grounds. The Army also reprimanded Trump for using photos and videos from the visit. Additionally, reports indicated that a Trump campaign member had an altercation with a cemetery official during the visit. Harris later issued a statement condemning Trump's controversial visit to the cemetery, which honors those who died in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Polling of veterans and military families?

Our research found no military-based poll surveys conducted in 2024.

An April 14, 2024, opinion piece in The Hill discussed the impact of veterans and military families on the upcoming election but did not include poll results.

Military Times, a media outlet that conducts polling of the military, surveyed active-duty troops about their preferences between Joe Biden and Trump in 2020, in partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. That poll indicated a slight but significant preference for Biden over Trump among troops. However, Military Times has not conducted similar polls of military veterans this year.

The verdict

The viral image claiming to show a Fox News poll of veterans' preferences between Harris and Trump ahead of the U.S. presidential elections is fabricated. Fox News has not released any such poll.