Trending story that Clinton won just 57 counties is untrue

Donald Trump did win more counties than Clinton's 487 — by a lot — but she also won 2 million more votes

Published December 6, 2016 6:45PM (EST)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's speech is seen on a television screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. (AP)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's speech is seen on a television screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. (AP)

NEW YORK — A trending story that claims Hillary Clinton won a total of 57 counties in the presidential election is untrue.

The Associated Press finds that Clinton won 487 counties nationwide, compared with 2,626 for President-elect Donald Trump.

The story appeared on several viral content sites that cater to some of Trump's supporters.

It also falsely claimed that Clinton outpaced Trump by more than 2 million votes in the five counties that comprise New York City, which the story said accounted for the entirety of her lead in the national popular vote. An AP count finds that Clinton beat Trump by roughly 1.5 million votes in New York City. Nationwide, Clinton holds a popular vote lead of more than 2 million.

The AP considers parishes in Louisiana as counties in election tallies. Washington, D.C., and Alaska have a single statewide reporting unit. Virginia's count includes 95 counties and 38 independent cities.


By The Associated Press



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Donald Trump Elections 2016 Hillary Clinton