White House Denounces Manipulated Videos Alleging Biden's Confusion or Wandering Off: A Closer Look

Rome, Italy, Lazio, Italy Italy
Another video showed Biden standing motionless while surrounded by people who were dancing to music at a Juneteenth celebration held at the White House, but White House officials pointed out that he was taking in applause and enjoying the moment
Mental acuity of President Biden has been a topic of scrutiny in his re-election campaign against Donald Trump
One video showed Biden appearing to wander away from other world leaders during a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit in Italy, but it was later revealed that footage had been cropped and edited
Videos went viral and were shared widely by conservative media outlets and right-wing influencers
White House accused opponents of spreading disinformation about Biden's physical and mental fitness through manipulated videos
White House denounces manipulated videos of President Biden's alleged confusion or wandering off
White House Denounces Manipulated Videos Alleging Biden's Confusion or Wandering Off: A Closer Look

The White House has denounced a series of videos that have gone viral, allegedly showing President Joe Biden in moments of confusion or wandering off. The videos, which have been shared widely by conservative media outlets and right-wing influencers, have been criticized as misleading or manipulated. In response, the White House has accused these groups of spreading disinformation in bad faith.

One video that gained significant attention showed Biden appearing to wander away from other world leaders during a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit in Italy. However, it was later revealed that the footage had been cropped and edited to give a misleading impression. In the full video from NBC News, Biden is seen walking towards a group of parachutists who had just landed and giving them two thumbs-up.

Another video showed Biden standing motionless while surrounded by people who were dancing to music at a Juneteenth celebration held at the White House. Critics claimed that this was evidence of Biden's mental decline, but White House officials pointed out that the president was simply taking in the applause and enjoying the moment.

The mental acuity of President Biden has been a topic of scrutiny in his re-election campaign against Donald Trump. While some videos have been deceptively edited or misrepresented, opinion polls have shown that voters view Biden's age as a concern and are less worried about Trump's health.

The White House has accused its opponents of spreading disinformation about Biden's physical and mental fitness through manipulated videos. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called these clips 'cheapfakes.'

In one incident, Biden was falsely accused of wandering off during a fundraiser in Los Angeles. However, the White House provided alternate footage that showed Biden pausing to take in the applause before leaving the stage.

The mental and physical health of both President Biden and Donald Trump have become major issues in the 2024 presidential race. While some videos of Biden appearing frail or confused have been deceptively edited, it is important to remember that these clips should be viewed in context and with a critical eye.



Confidence

100%

No Doubts Found At Time Of Publication

Sources

83%

  • Unique Points
    • White House denies Biden experienced confusion at fundraiser, provides alternate footage
    • Opponents claim Biden froze up and required Obama’s help to leave stage (not included in other articles)
    • Biden’s mental acuity a topic of scrutiny in White House race
  • Accuracy
    • Opponents claim Biden froze up and required Obama's help to leave stage
    • Biden's mental acuity a topic of scrutiny in White House race
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains selective reporting as the author only reports details that support the White House's position and omits information that contradicts it. For example, the author quotes the White House's response to allegations of Biden's mental state being questioned but fails to mention any evidence or context provided by Biden's opponents. Additionally, there is emotional manipulation as the author uses phrases like 'desperate Republicans', 'manipulated videos', and 'misinformation campaign'. Lastly, there is a lie by omission in the article as it fails to mention that Biden was indeed experiencing some confusion during the event and required Obama's assistance to leave the stage.
    • The White House has accused ‘right-wing critics’ of selectively editing videos in a ‘misinformation’ campaign to question President Joe Biden’s mental state.
    • But allies of the president pointed to longer clips that show Mr Biden smiling and apparently taking in the crowd’s applause.
    • A clip of the interaction widely shared on X, formerly Twitter, has a community note attached, pointing out the video was cropped.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (95%)
    The author Sam Cabral presents the White House's perspective on the situation, implying that the criticism of President Biden's mental state by his opponents is a 'misinformation campaign'. The author also uses language that depicts Republicans as 'desperate' and engaging in actions 'in bad faith'. These statements reflect political bias.
    • It tells you everything that we need to know about how desperate Republicans are here.
      • The White House has accused ‘right-wing critics’ of selectively editing videos in a ‘misinformation’ campaign to question President Joe Biden’s mental state.
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      96%

      • Unique Points
        • White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused opponents of spreading disinformation about President Joe Biden’s physical and mental fitness
        • 'Biden administration denounced 'cheapfake' videos showing Biden’s decline'
      • Accuracy
        • Republicans and conservative media outlets shared clips of Biden appearing to wander off or freezing up
        • One clip was cropped to obscure a parachutist that Biden was walking towards when appearing to wander off during a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit in Italy
        • Another clip showed Biden standing motionless while surrounded by people dancing at a Juneteenth celebration held at the White House
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (90%)
        Al Jazeera's article labels the viral videos of Biden as 'cheapfake' and accuses Republicans of spreading disinformation about Biden's physical and mental fitness. The author uses loaded language to depict the Republicans as desperate and misrepresenting facts. The article also provides examples of how some clips were deceptively edited, but it does not provide any evidence or context for why these specific videos are being used against Biden.
        • It tells you everything that we need to know about how desperate Republicans are here.
          • Republican social media accounts and conservative media outlets have shared videos purporting to show Biden's decline.
          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication

          72%

          • Unique Points
            • More Americans may think President Joe Biden tried to sit on a nonexistent chair the other day than know the boring truth that there was, in fact, a chair.
            • The Republican National Committee, major conservative media outlets and right-wing influencers have succeeded in blasting out videos that they claim show “proof” of Biden’s wandering off, freezing up or even filling his pants with a substance commonly represented by a brown swirl emoji.
            • Independent fact-checkers and the Biden campaign have pointed out that the videos, while they are un-doctored by artificial intelligence, tend to crumble under even basic scrutiny, such as when the moments are viewed in context or from wider camera angles.
            • Conservative media outlets disseminating such clips include not only ideologically driven ones like Fox News but also the vast network of local TV news stations owned by Sinclair Broadcasting.
          • Accuracy
            • Republicans and conservative media outlets shared clips of Biden appearing to wander off or freezing up.
          • Deception (30%)
            The article discusses the spread of misleading videos about President Biden and the difficulty fact-checkers have in keeping up. While not creating or endorsing these videos themselves, NBC News reports on them and provides quotes from Republican officials justifying their use. This constitutes selective reporting as it only presents information that supports the Republican narrative, while ignoring context or contradictory evidence. Additionally, the article uses emotional manipulation by implying that voters are more likely to encounter these misleading videos than fact-checks and that they may believe them due to existing concerns about Biden's age.
            • Republicans pushed a video of Biden in Europe attending the Group of Seven summit in which he allegedly ‘wandered off’
            • The Republican National Committee, major conservative media outlets and right-wing influencers have succeeded in blasting out videos
          • Fallacies (80%)
            The article does not contain any explicit logical fallacies. However, it does contain several instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to emotion. The author uses phrases like 'sad little super PAC', 'cheap fakes', 'disrespecting its readers and itself once again', and 'outrageous that the words
            • ]cheap fake[
          • Bias (80%)
            The article does not make any clear assertions of bias from the author towards a specific political party or ideology. However, the author does use language that could be perceived as critical of the Republican National Committee and conservative media outlets for spreading misleading videos about President Biden. The author also quotes Democratic strategist Eric Schultz and White House spokesperson Andrew Bates making statements critical of these same entities.
            • Republicans pushed a video of Biden in Europe attending the Group of Seven summit in which he allegedly [wandered off](javascript:void(0)) in a confused haze before Italy[['s]](javascript:void(0)) prime minister pulled him back. Uncut video and shots from wider angles showed Biden was greeting a parachutist who had just landed as part of the ceremony.[
              • ]The RNC[['s]](javascript:void(0)) opposition research account suggested Biden was having a medical incident because he was not dancing at a Juneteenth event, though Biden has long said he is not much of a dancer and barely danced at his inaugural ball in 2021.[
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              97%

              • Unique Points
                • White House denounced altered videos portraying President Biden as wandering or confused as ‘bad faith’ and a sign of desperation from his critics.
                • Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred to a Washington Post article labeling the footage as ‘cheap fake’ and spread by ‘right-wing critics’.
                • Videos in question stemmed from Biden’s trips to France, Italy, and a fundraiser.
              • Accuracy
                • Opponents claim Biden froze up and required Obama’s help to leave stage.
                • One clip was cropped to obscure a parachutist that Biden was walking towards when appearing to wander off during a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit in Italy.
              • Deception (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Fallacies (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Bias (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              94%

              • Unique Points
                • President Joe Biden was falsely accused of wandering off during a G7 summit by conservative media outlets.
                • 'In the full video from NBC News, Biden is seen walking towards a group of parachutists who had just landed and giving them two thumbs-up.'
                • 'Several cameras were present at the event, but some outlets used angles that did not show what Biden was walking towards to spread false narratives.'
              • Accuracy
                • Conservative media outlets used misleading camera angles to spread false narratives about Biden.
              • Deception (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Fallacies (95%)
                The article does not contain any explicit logical fallacies. However, it does discuss several instances of misinformation being spread about President Biden's actions during the G7 summit. These instances involve selectively edited videos that give a false impression of Biden's behavior.
                • ] The New York Post, in text superimposed on the video, said that Biden ‘appears to wander off’ and ‘has to be pulled back.’[/
                • '] WHAT IS BIDEN DOING?[/
              • Bias (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication