FACT CHECK: Viral X Post Makes False Claim About Taxes, Child Support
A viral post shared on X claims President Donald Trump has proposed a new child support law where only the individual paying child support can claim a child on their taxes.
Trumps NEW CHILD SUPPORT LAW will be crazy. Basically if you put someone on child support you will no longer be able to claim the child on your taxes, only the person who is PAYING the child support can.
😳😳😳— 👑Prince Of The City👑 (@HandsomeAlex216) January 17, 2025
Verdict: False
Trump has not publicly referenced the claim, and there is no other evidence supporting the claim.
Fact Check:
Trump has directed all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) staff within the federal government to be put on leave and eventually laid off, according to The Associated Press. The President has also signed an executive order dismantling the federal government’s DEI programs, the outlet reported.
The X post, which has amassed over one million views as of writing, claims Trump has proposed a new child support law where only the individual paying child support can claim a child on their taxes.
“Trumps [sic] NEW CHILD SUPPORT LAW will be crazy. Basically if you put someone on child support you will no longer be able to claim the child on your taxes, only the person who is PAYING the child support can,” the post, which does not provide a source to support its claim, reads.
The claim is false. The purported child support law is not included in the Republican Party’s official 2024 campaign platform. The only reference to taxes made in the platform indicates that the party intends to make Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanent as well as remove taxes on tips for restaurant and hospitality industry workers.
“Republicans will make permanent the provisions of the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that doubled the standard deduction, expanded the Child Tax Credit, and spurred Economic Growth for all Americans. We will eliminate taxes on tips for millions of Restaurant and Hospitality Workers, and pursue additional Tax Cuts,” verbiage on page 13 of the document reads.
Likewise, Trump has not referenced the claim using his personal or government X accounts or his TRUTH Social account. The claim does not appear on the White House’s website, either.
Check Your Fact also did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. Both Snopes and Lead Stories debunked the claim. (RELATED: Claim That Trump Plans To Invalidate Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program Is Satire)
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the TCJA doubled the maximum Child Tax Credit (CTC) from $1,000 per child to $2,000 per child “for children under 17.”
In addition, the law “modified the income thresholds at which the CTC begins to phase out,” increasing the threshold from $75,000 to $200,000 for single parents and from $110,000 to $400,000 for married parents, the Bipartisan Policy Center states. Provisions made to the TCJA are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025.
According to the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) website, parents can claim the CTC “for each qualifying child who has a Social Security number that is valid for employment in the United States.”
Check Your Fact has contacted the White House for comment.