Fact Check

Did the Obamas Buy Controlling Interest in Home Depot?

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Published March 26, 2020

 (FLICKR)
Image Via FLICKR
Claim:
Barack and Michelle Obama bought a controlling interest in the Home Depot chain of home improvement stores.

On July 9, 2019, the Obamawatcher website published an article positing that former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama had bought a controlling interest in the Home Depot chain of home improvement stores:

Being the 17th richest man in the country certainly has its advantages. And it seems like Barack Obama and his wife have decided to make use of one.

After hearing that the Home Depot corporation had decided to patriotically donate money to President Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign instead of bowing to back one of the socialist nincompoops currently jockeying for position, Obama and his foundation quickly hit the stock market, and gobbled up 51% of the company, establishing controlling interest.

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows: "Everything on this website is fiction. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical."

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.