Joe Biden

Was Vice President Kamala Harris "too intoxicated to stand up" at the Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: Harris was receiving applause at the moment in question and was not expected to stand. She was seen standing several times during the first night of the convention. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on August 19,…

Did Kamala Harris snub Ashley Biden by "refusing to stand" during a round of applause after remarks delivered by President Joe Biden's daughter on the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: It's a typical response of a person being honored to remain seated, an expert on public speaking told Lead Stories. The context of…

Did Taylor Swift endorse Donald Trump in August 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Swift said she wanted people to vote for Trump in the 2024 presidential election campaign. The image of Swift as Uncle Sam with the phrase "TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP" appears to be AI generated. Swift endorsed Joe Biden…

Did Donald Trump freeze for 21 seconds during a speech at a rally in Bozeman, Montana? No, that's not true: He was speaking when he saw there was a situation in the crowd, then paused his speech and called for a doctor to assist. Trump did not immediately resume his speech but continued to speak reassuring words to the people…

Did a Jewish family hire Thomas Matthew Crooks to shoot former President Donald Trump? Or was Crooks trained to shoot by the CEO of BlackRock Security or by a rabbi? Has footage been leaked showing Crooks and the BlackRock CEO together carrying a gun? No, none of these claims are true: Using an AI-detection tool, Lead Stories found that the…

Did Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sign a bill "allowing gender reassignment surgery for children"? No, that's not true: No state law sets a specific minimum age for gender-affirming surgical interventions, a Minnesota lawmaker told Lead Stories. Major health care providers do not operate on people under 18. One bill signed into law protects youth access to those services discussed in…

Did President Joe Biden board the wrong, empty plane at Joint Base Andrews, where he arrived to meet three Americans freed from a prisoner swap with Russia on August 1, 2024? No, that's not true: White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told journalists that Biden walked inside the plane that had carried the released prisoners to the United States to thank…

Did President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris personally oversee the plea deal with accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants? No, that's not true: Both the U.S. National Security Adviser and the U.S. Office of Military Commissions stated that the White House was not involved in any way. There is no evidence that either the…

Did President Joe Biden grow mysteriously taller after spending time away from the public eye recovering from COVID-19? No, that's not true: The video footage used by people claiming this on social media shows Biden from a lower level, which gives an illusion of greater height relative to the people and architecture behind him. Different camera angles of the same…

Did the wristwatch President Joe Biden was wearing show a time other than the current local time during a live address on July 24, 2024, indicating the speech was prerecorded or edited? No, that's not true: Biden's watch was visible showing the correct local time at various moments during the address, filmed and photographed by several cameras. The time of…