Viral pundit claim
Full gaslight“86 only means assassinate.”
Major mainstream definitions list throw out, get rid of, refuse service, eject, dismiss, remove, reject, and discontinue.
2026-04-30 | Merriam-Webster / AP language reporting
Gaslight Meter
Rate the spin.
A static claim-rating database for pundits, officials, outlets, influencers, and legal commentators.
Official-style spin
Bad-faith spin“A number plus a president number is automatically a criminal threat.”
Context, intent, and the true-threat standard matter. Courts do not criminalize political speech based on the harshest possible reading alone.
2026-04-30 | Cornell LII / Watts v. United States
Media framing claim
Misleading“There is no mainstream nonviolent use of 86.”
Restaurant, workplace, dictionary, and general-language uses of 86 as remove or discard are widespread.
2026-04-29 | Merriam-Webster / Associated Press
Legal Commentator
Accurate“Threat prosecutions face significant First Amendment hurdles.”
Legal experts have warned that a prosecution based on ambiguous symbolic speech must clear serious true-threat and intent barriers.
2026-04-30 | Reuters / Cornell LII