Current:Home > InvestFACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One-LoTradeCoin
FACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One
View Date:2024-12-23 22:37:12
False reports that President Joe Biden had a “medical emergency” while traveling back to Delaware on Friday after a campaign stop in Wisconsin, spread widely on social media on Friday. They were without merit.
Here’s a look at the facts.
___
CLAIM: President Joe Biden had a “medical emergency” aboard Air Force One on Friday.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There were no signs of a medical emergency on the flight, according to an Associated Press reporter who was traveling with Biden. Air Force One arrived at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware, at 7:22 p.m. The president exited the plane on his own, saluted and spoke with an officer at the base of the stairs and took a question from a reporter before leaving the airport.
THE FACTS: As Biden returned to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, after a campaign stop in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday social media users falsely claimed that the president had suffered a “medical emergency” aboard Air Force One.
Air Force One landed in New Castle, Delaware, at 7:22 p.m. about the same time posts started spreading about Biden’s alleged medical emergency.
“I just received a tip from an anonymous source,” reads one X post. “My source says that Joe Biden is currently experiencing a medical emergency on Air Force One as I type this. No further details are known.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
Another X post states: “Joe Biden is reportedly having a medical emergency on Air Force One right now. Press access has been removed.” It had received approximately 15,000 likes and 10,900 shares as of Saturday morning.
The posts presented no evidence that such an event occurred. Press access was not removed.
Video shows Biden walking down the steps of Air Force One in Delaware, speaking with an officer, answering a reporter’s question about whether he would watch a highly anticipated interview he did with ABC News’ George Stephanopolous and getting into a car, all without issue.
There were no signs of an emergency aboard Air Force One and the press was not denied access to the plane at any point, according to an AP reporter who was traveling on Air Force One with Biden during the flight from Wisconsin to Delaware. The reporter added that press was able to move about the plane as usual and that a door separating press from Biden’s top staff was open for most of the flight.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates called the claim “100% false” in an X post on Friday night.
Other posts claimed that the press did not see Biden when the presidential motorcade arrived at his home Friday night and that his campaign had canceled upcoming events as a result of the supposed emergency.
A press pool was in Biden’s motorcade when he was dropped off at his Wilmington home, according to the AP reporter who was traveling with the president. The reporter said journalists did not see him enter the house, but they routinely do not see him enter his Wilmington home because it is set back from the street and it is typical to only see the motorcade going through the gates leading to the house.
Biden had no public events planned for Saturday. He was scheduled to speak at a National Education Association convention on Sunday, but canceled after the union’s staff announced a strike on Friday.
“President Biden is a fierce supporter of unions and he won’t cross a picket line,” his campaign said in a statement. “The President is still planning to travel to Pennsylvania this weekend.”
___
Associated Press reporters Colleen Long and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
___
Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
veryGood! (9319)
Related
- Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
- Travis Kelce’s Ex Kayla Nicole Responds to “Constant Vitriol”
- Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan Rekindle Romance With Miami Beach Date
- Maui's deadly wildfires fueled by lack of preparedness, communication breakdowns
- Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
- Man granted parole for his role in the 2001 stabbing deaths of 2 Dartmouth College professors
- Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band guitarist, dies at 80: 'Dickey was larger than life'
- Man charged in shooting of 5 men following fight over parking space at a Detroit bar
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- After squatters took over Gordon Ramsay's London pub, celebrity chef fights to take it back
Ranking
- Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
- 'GMA3' co-host Dr. Jennifer Ashton leaves ABC News after 13 years to launch wellness company
- Chicago’s response to migrant influx stirs longstanding frustrations among Black residents
- Two shootings, two different responses — Maine restricts guns while Iowa arms teachers
- Incredible animal moments: Watch farmer miraculously revive ailing chick, doctor saves shelter dogs
- Netflix now has nearly 270 million subscribers after another strong showing to begin 2024
- Pesticides pose a significant risk in 20% of fruits and vegetables, Consumer Reports finds
- District attorney says Memphis police officer may have been killed by friendly fire
Recommendation
-
Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
-
Arizona Coyotes to move to Salt Lake City after being sold to Utah Jazz owners
-
Prince William returns to official duties following Princess Kate's cancer revelation: Photos
-
Why is the economy so strong? New hires are spending more and upgrading their lifestyles
-
J.Crew Outlet Quietly Drops Their Black Friday Deals - Save Up to 70% off Everything, Styles Start at $12
-
At least 135 dead in Pakistan and Afghanistan as flooding continues to slam region
-
'Harry Potter,' 'Star Wars' actor Warwick Davis mourns death of wife Samantha
-
Lawsuit filed over new Kentucky law aimed at curbing youth vaping