Claim:
An April 2024 video showed Biden attempting to shake someone's hand at the end of a speech while no one was there.
Rating:
Unproven ( About this rating? )
On April 23, 2024, X user @LeadingReport posted a clip of U.S. President Joe Biden extending his hands out before walking toward the audience and saluting. According to the account, he seemed to be trying to shake hands with a "ghost." The post received a staggering 25.2 million views and 48,000 likes, as of this writing.
"BREAKING: Leading Report is lying again," one user wrote in the comments. "Instead, Biden was gesturing toward the crowd RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM."
The video is available on C-SPAN, with the moment in question viewable at minute 13:56.
It was captioned:
President Biden campaigned in Tampa, Florida, where he urged voters to use their voices at the ballot box to protect reproductive rights. The president's remarks came just one week before a Florida six-week abortion ban was to take effect. He placed the blame for the law and the overturning of Roe v. Wade on former President Donald Trump . President Biden said outlawing abortion was a "political deal" between the evangelical base of the Republican party and Donald Trump.
Biden can be seen extending his hands outward toward the audience; however, we were unable to prove that he was attempting to shake someone's hand who wasn't there. Therefore, we have rated this claim as "Unproven."
A pattern of misinformation has historically surrounded older politicians and presidential candidates, but in Biden's case, there has been a particular emphasis on his physical and mental abilities, given that he is the oldest president holding office in history, at age 81.
We've previously reported on this trend of misinformation , finding an uptick in such claims after Biden took office in 2021. We've found many claims — including that Biden fell on the stairs to Air Force One , mistakenly called Russian President Vladimir Putin "President Trump ," and used the phrase "any country in America" in a campaign speech — to be true.
Sources:
Campaign 2024: President Biden Campaign Remarks in Tampa, Florida | C-SPAN.Org . https://www.c-span.org/video/?535115-1/president-biden-campaign-remarks-tampa-florida . Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Evon, Dan. 'Did Biden Fall on Stairs to Air Force One?' Snopes , 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/biden-falls-on-stairs/ .
' Https://Twitter.Com/LeadingReport/Status/1782911061701579102' . X (Formerly Twitter) , https://twitter.com/LeadingReport/status/1782911061701579102. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Ibrahim, Nur. 'Did Biden Try To Shake Hands with Schumer Twice?' Snopes , 10 Aug. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/biden-schumer-forget-handshake/ .
Lee, Jessica. 'Did Biden Call Putin "President Trump" and Then Correct Himself?' Snopes , 16 June 2021, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/biden-trump-putin/ .
Lee, Jessica. 'We Noticed This Trend in Misinformation Since Biden Took Office'. Snopes , 19 Jan. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//articles/390356/biden-one-year-rumors/ .
Liles, Jordan. 'Biden Used the Phrase "Any Country in America" During Campaign Speech?' Snopes , 15 Mar. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/biden-any-country-in-america/ .
'Video Shows Biden Gesturing to Crowd, Not Embracing "imaginary" Person'. Fact Check , 22 Dec. 2023, https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.348P3D7 .
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