Mao Zedong killed 30 million people.
Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 contradict3 support4 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 1, 2026
The 30 million figure matches estimates of deaths from the Great Leap Forward famine (Reuters 2009, AP-style 2026 reports), but other sources put Mao-era deaths at 40 to 70 million or more, so the claim's total is at the low end of contested estimates.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
What was said
… Of course, that could never happen today. The difference is that the only real battlement against liberalism, the West and jewelry, is nationalism. Soviets were okay, same thing with Mao. Mao killed 30 million people. That doesn't matter. There was no sanctions on him. Um, you know, uh, they knew exactly what was going on. So, yes, it's a continuation. Whether it be state-owned or Jewish private-owned, it doesn't make any difference. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Other estimates of Mao-era deaths run considerably higher: 40 to 70 million (National Review, WorldAtlas), 40 to 80 million (Snopes citing the Washington Post), and 70 million (HuffPost), so 30 million is below the broader range.[1][4][5][6]
Supports. Reuters (2009) reports that an estimated 30 million people, primarily peasants, perished from starvation during the Great Leap Forward.[2]
Supports. Reports from October 2026 describe the Great Leap Forward famine as having killed an estimated 30 million people.[7][8]
Context. Heritage's estimate of 30 to 40 million deaths covers only 1959 to 1961, and Black Book estimates put the total at 65 million, so the 30 million figure depends on whether the claim refers to the famine alone or to all deaths.[9]
Context. Many deaths were from starvation, persecution and executions rather than direct killing, and the sources do not give a single agreed count.[3][10][11]
Sources
11 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 6 not rated
- 1Fact Check: Yes, Musk repost misleadingly claimed 'Stalin, Mao and Hitler didn't murder millions of people'snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2: Sixty years of the People's Republic of Chinareuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 35 decades after China's Cultural Revolution, a few say sorryapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 4Kylian Mbappé's Apology to China Over Mao Zedong Meme Emboldens Beijingnationalreview.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
- 5Mao Zedong Murdered 70 Million Chinese and 200K Sparrowshuffpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
- 6The Deadliest Dictator Regimes In Historyworldatlas.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 7Soccer star Kylian Mbappé apologizes for apparent ...abcnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Mbappé apologises over Mao Zedong joke as Chinese ...france24.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 9The Legacy of Mao Zedong is Mass Murder | The Heritage Foundationheritage.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 10Mao Zedong - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 11The Evil of Mao Zedong: Dr. Sarah Paine - The Leader Makertheleadermaker.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
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