ClaimsPeople

Nate Silver

Nate Silver is an election forecaster and writer who founded FiveThirtyEight and now publishes the Silver Bulletin newsletter.

617 claims collected, 163 researched, 84 resolved. Report of 10 November 2026, method 0.1.0+28da144b.

Scores by kind of claim

Each kind of claim is scored on its own, out of 100: the share that held up, with the range it likely falls in. Fewer resolved claims give a wider range.

  • Factual claims

    Statements about the present or the past, checked against the record: did they hold up?

    82 76 88

    High confidence, 63 factual claims resolved. From 19 documents, 2012 to 2026; 19 documents sampled from 35 candidates found.

    Not scored: 42 unresolvable, 7 checkable only against their own records.

  • Predictions

    Statements about events outside the person's control, checked once they fell due: did they come true?

    61 47 75

    Medium confidence, 16 predictions resolved. From 8 documents, 2015 to 2025; 19 documents sampled from 35 candidates found.

    Not scored: 12 unresolvable. 10 more fall due later.

    Does not yet allow for how likely each prediction was when made.

  • Promises

    Commitments to the person's or organisation's own future action, with something to deliver: was it delivered?

    67 46 85

    Low confidence, 5 promises resolved. From 4 documents, 2022 to 2025; 19 documents sampled from 35 candidates found.

    Not scored: 7 unresolvable.

All types combined: 77 (likely 72 to 82, high confidence), from 84 claims: 63 factual claims, 16 predictions, 5 promises. It mixes kinds of claim in different proportions for different people, so compare people kind by kind.

Nate Silver's claims

617 claims, sorted by newest said. Choose a claim to read it in full.
VerdictKindSaidClaimTopic
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 it might not be a terrible time in X months to look at housing if you don't own well Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 I buy that Trump has strong autocratic tendencies. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 I think you're like a little bit defenseless, apart from like having to reason with yourself about like, oh am I a person who is annoyed… Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not researched Factual 8 Apr 2025 Donald Trump's popularity ratings have declined somewhat as of April 2025. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 AI policy and governance
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 even like the bullish cases are barish and like, you know, it's very very broad based. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 Then like, it's not it's not great right now, right Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not yet due Prediction 8 Apr 2025 In April 2025, Silver said that at that point he would consider Democrats a little over 50% likely to retake the White House in 2028. Prediction · 8 Apr 2025 AI policy and governance
Not researched Factual 8 Apr 2025 The American public is against Trump's tariff policy. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 AI policy and governance
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 the fact that like this terraffs are these are going to cause us so much pain, give us less leverage beyond a certain point Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not researched Factual 8 Apr 2025 Roughly the first third of US House districts are strongly Republican because of gerrymandering and population self-sorting. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 AI policy and governance
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 But the long term provides a lot of uncertainty too. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not researched Factual 8 Apr 2025 Most lumber used in the United States is cut domestically in the United States. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 Economics and markets
Not researched Factual 8 Apr 2025 On the night of Trump's 2016 election win, the market initially thought it would be bad for stocks, then reversed and rose the next day. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 Economics and markets
Not yet due Prediction 8 Apr 2025 Trump's tariffs could be rescinded at any time, if not now then after the 2026 midterms or after the 2028 election. Prediction · 8 Apr 2025 Economics and markets
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 this is not going to help the working class, right Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 say this is gonna fuck me up. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 I buy that some of the stuff he's doing on immigration and free speeches, you know, autocratic. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 I mean, this is like a fundamental change in the United States's relationship with the rest of the world. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Apr 2025 I think the people who are worried about democratic backsliding are correct to be worried about it. Not checkable · 8 Apr 2025
Mostly true Factual 8 Apr 2025 The two special elections held in early April 2025 were in extremely Republican-leaning, rural Florida districts. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 AI policy and governance
Resolved true Factual 8 Apr 2025 Congress has the power to pass a law stopping President Trump's tariffs. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 AI policy and governance
Resolved true Factual 8 Apr 2025 About 60% of Americans have investments in the stock market. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 Economics and markets
Not researched Factual 8 Apr 2025 Investors assumed before the 2024 election outcome played out that Trump would be good for the stock market. Factual · 8 Apr 2025 Economics and markets
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 Trump won more than 312 electoral votes in 16 percent of the model's final simulations. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Factual 7 Nov 2024 In Silver Bulletin's final model, Harris won all swing states except Arizona in about 4 percent of simulations. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Prediction 7 Nov 2024 Noting that many mail votes were still to be counted, Silver guessed that most of the shift toward Democrats in Washington, Oregon and Colorado would hold up. Prediction · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 I’m not sure exactly what outcome I was rooting for on Tuesday night. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Mixed Factual 7 Nov 2024 Utah has gradually become more politically purple, due to a tech-sector workforce and Mormons not always being keen on Trump. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 Silver said Harris lost Georgia by 2 points, and that this means Georgia is now closer to the tipping point. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 Trump winning exactly 312 electoral votes was by far the most common outcome in the model's simulations, occurring 6 percent of the time. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Still, it’s a sign that the model’s internal logic is sound, and that American elections are quite predictable on a state level once you… Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Unresolvable Prediction 7 Nov 2024 The model's other 48 of 50 state calls will be right, assuming Trump's leads in Arizona and Nevada hold, which Silver said they almost certainly will. Prediction · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 In Silver Bulletin's model, states with many polls are weighted almost entirely on polling averages, while states without polls default to 2020 results plus a uniform shift toward Trump. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 We’re treating next week (and the remainder of this week) as “election wind-down mode.” Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 The actual 2024 election map was the most common map in Silver Bulletin's final model, appearing in 4,660 of 80,000 simulations. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Silver Bulletin, we hope, will have a long future. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 So no matter what, actually, we were going to be wrong about something! Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 Final 2024 presidential margins in the swing states were close to the polling averages, and less close in blue states. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Democrats, however — and here, I’m not referring so much to Silver Bulletin subscribers but in the broader universe online — often get… Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not yet due Prediction 7 Nov 2024 Utah could become a swing state by 2040. Prediction · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 I support third-party ballot access, and stronger performance helps third parties to qualify for the New York ballot in future elections. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Unresolvable Promise 7 Nov 2024 Silver Bulletin will publish about 9-12 posts a month after the election wind-down. Promise · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 although honestly, I think I’d still have taken some crap from Democrats for any Harris win. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 When polls miss low on Trump in one key state, they probably also will in most or all of the others. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Starting the week of Nov. 17, this newsletter will be more like it was before the election, with a greater breadth of topics. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Mostly false Promise 7 Nov 2024 Silver said he would probably begin with college basketball Elo ratings, with a goal of launching by the end of 2024, if not sooner. Promise · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Promise 7 Nov 2024 Silver Bulletin will make all its posts free during the post-election wind-down period, except a bonus subscriber questions post. Promise · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Prediction 7 Nov 2024 Voters leaving deep blue states while Republicans gain surplus voters in Florida and Texas will greatly reduce and perhaps reverse the Electoral College bias favoring Republicans. Prediction · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 That’s not a good way to build a majority, and now Democrats no longer have one. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Republicans are generally happy when you agree with them partway or half the time. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Trump was happy to take on all comers, whereas with Democrats, disagreement on any hot-button topic (say, COVID school closures or Biden’s… Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 In Silver Bulletin's final model, a Harris sweep of the swing states was the second most common outcome, occurring 14 percent of the time. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Own records only Factual 7 Nov 2024 Nate Silver voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 Silver Bulletin's model, read deterministically, had Trump winning 5 of 7 swing states and missed only Michigan and Wisconsin, where Trump leads by 1.5 and 0.9 points in current counts. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Mostly true Factual 7 Nov 2024 Conservatives leaving blue states tend to move to Florida and Texas, making those states redder, and many polls did not catch up. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 we plan to reinvest in Silver Bulletin for the long term. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Unresolvable Promise 7 Nov 2024 Silver said the plan was for Silver Bulletin to have one paid post and one free post a week, in addition to SBSQ subscriber-questions posts. Promise · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Factual 7 Nov 2024 In simulations producing the actual map, projected state margins missed actual results by an average of 2.3 points, given results reported so far. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 Tuesday was a perfect demonstration of correlated polling error Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 7 Nov 2024 So I essentially got to perform a randomized control trial on how partisans in both camps reacted to good and bad news. Not checkable · 7 Nov 2024
Not researched Factual 7 Nov 2024 New Mexico remained solidly Democratic in the 2024 presidential election. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Other
Unresolvable Factual 7 Nov 2024 Nate Silver said Iowa stood apart as its own group because of the Selzer poll, which he said was not highly accurate. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Science and research methods
Resolved true Factual 7 Nov 2024 In Silver Bulletin's final model, a Trump sweep of the seven swing states was the most common scenario, occurring in 20 percent of simulations. Factual · 7 Nov 2024 Their own work or organisation
Not researched Factual 9 Oct 2024 The latest Quinnipiac polls of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have relatively large sample sizes. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 This week, Democratic panic has been elevated. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 And sometimes it isn’t. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 Of course, if Democrats see another Trump term as an existential threat, they should be panicked. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not researched Factual 9 Oct 2024 In 2022, predictions of a 'red wave' were made that were never justified by polls or models, which had Democrats on track for an above-average midterm. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 Misreading signals from prediction markets. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Resolved true Factual 9 Oct 2024 John McCain had periods of strong polling in 2008, especially after the Republican Convention, but Barack Obama won in a landslide. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 Scary news in the Middle East — and from hurricanes in the Southeast. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Mostly true Factual 9 Oct 2024 Silver said that, if anything, there was too little panic among Democrats about 2016, and that they were dismissive of polls showing a tightening race late in the campaign and a tenuous Hillary Clinton lead in the Electoral College. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Philosophy, ethics and society
Unresolvable Prediction 9 Oct 2024 Donald Trump's chance of winning the 2024 presidential election in the Electoral College is about even. Prediction · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 to the point that Democratic campaigns can even find it strategically advantageous to portray themselves as underdogs because it tends to… Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 If anything, this tendency is growing more pronounced in the Trump era. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 Sometimes it’s justified. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Resolved true Factual 9 Oct 2024 As of early October 2024, the US presidential election is about four weeks away. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 The media can play a role, too. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not researched Factual 9 Oct 2024 Quinnipiac polls tend to be 'bouncy', and Quinnipiac is not one of the firms that can be accused of herding. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not researched Factual 9 Oct 2024 Quinnipiac polls released on Wednesday 9 October 2024 show Trump ahead by 3 in Michigan and 2 in Wisconsin, and Harris leading by 3 in Pennsylvania. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Mostly true Factual 9 Oct 2024 The previous Quinnipiac polls of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were quite a bit better for Harris than the latest ones. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Resolved true Factual 9 Oct 2024 Dozens of election polls are released every week. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Science and research methods
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 For various reasons — but mostly the scar tissue left over from 2016 — the incentives are probably toward portraying Republican prospects… Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 Republicans tend to be boastful of polls showing strong results for Trump, while Democrats tend to be perpetually anxious Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Mostly true Factual 9 Oct 2024 Since Nate Silver began covering elections in 2008, Democrats have been prone to bouts of panic about the state of the horse race. Factual · 9 Oct 2024 Philosophy, ethics and society
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 Concern about Kamala Harris’s performance in interviews. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 If there’s a hurricane bearing down on your backyard, you probably don’t want to parse the finer points of whether the odds of a direct hit… Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 A combination of little things. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 9 Oct 2024 But generally speaking, the polls aren’t nearly so fast-moving as hurricanes and the outlook doesn’t change that much from day to day. Not checkable · 9 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Oct 2024 (Framing probabilities in odds ratios like this can sometimes be helpful. A 3:1 advantage is meaningful in the way that 11:9 just isn’t.) Not checkable · 8 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Oct 2024 Both games would be considered close, potentially coming down to the outcome of a single play, but the odds shift to almost 3:1 in one… Not checkable · 8 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Oct 2024 But that’s not what this forecast is saying. Not checkable · 8 Oct 2024
Not researched Factual 8 Oct 2024 The 2024 Silver Bulletin presidential forecast has spent more time near 50/50 than any election forecast Nate Silver has seen. Factual · 8 Oct 2024 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Factual 8 Oct 2024 Silver wrote that Harris's win probability rises from 28 percent to 59 percent if her popular vote lead goes from 2 points (rounded down) to 3 points. Factual · 8 Oct 2024 AI timelines and forecasting
Not researched Factual 8 Oct 2024 The breakeven point on a point spread bet in sports betting is generally 52.5 percent, enough to cover the vig. Factual · 8 Oct 2024 Economics and markets
Unresolvable Prediction 8 Oct 2024 Nate Silver said that if he had to bet, he would guess the Silver Bulletin forecast probabilities for the 2024 presidential election would stay somewhere in the 50/50 to 60/40 range through Election Day. Prediction · 8 Oct 2024 AI timelines and forecasting
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Oct 2024 People understand intuitively that a 50/50 or 49/51 forecast is a toss-up. Not checkable · 8 Oct 2024
Not checkable Not checkable 8 Oct 2024 If the forecast is 55/45 in some direction instead, however, confusion can abound — even though this isn’t any different from 50/50 for… Not checkable · 8 Oct 2024
Unresolvable Prediction 8 Oct 2024 Harris will win the 2024 Electoral College about 11 times out of 20 and Trump about 9 times out of 20. Prediction · 8 Oct 2024 Other
Unresolvable Factual 8 Oct 2024 Since the Silver Bulletin forecast relaunch on July 30, 2024, Harris has won 49.4 percent of simulations on average and Trump 50.2 percent. Factual · 8 Oct 2024 Their own work or organisation
Back to the list

Nate Silver

Open its page

Not checkable

“it might not be a terrible time in X months to look at housing if you don't own well”

Nate Silver 8 April 2025 Tariffs, Tariffs, Tariffs (Risky Business) (iHeart)

it might not be a terrible time in X months to look at housing if you don't own well

Not checkable An opinion, value judgement or statement with nothing to check.

Cite this claim

Nate Silver, “it might not be a terrible time in X months to look at housing if you don't own well” (said 8 April 2025). Verdict: not checkable. Reliability API, claim c_a5559061de0e, method 0.1.0+28da144b. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_a5559061de0e

Claims without a verdict

Is a verdict here wrong, or do you speak for Nate Silver? Reply on the claim's own page, with the form at its foot (how replies work). Verdicts are made automatically; how verdicts and scores are made.