Did President Joe Biden make the same speech on the dates of "12/21 and 3/22"? No, that's not true: While it's unclear whether the post is referring to dates by month/date (i.e., December 21 and March 22) or month/year (December 2021 and March 2022), White House transcripts show he touched on the same topics in speeches two days apart in December 2021 but they are not the exactly the same. Even if they were, experts note Biden would not be the first politician to re-use lines: it is customary for candidates and elected officials to repeat their message once they have worked it out.
The claim appeared in an Instagram post on July 18, 2022, with two videos of Biden speaking side by side and the title "Tired of being played yet? Here's Biden spouting off the same BS on 12/21 and 3/22. Wake Up AMERICA." The comment on the post says:
And this administration wonders why Biden's approval rating is so low 😂 it's all Washington spin bull crap that nobody believes, yet they continue to push it! And they don't even change the messaging. Sad!
This is what the post looked like on Instagram at the time of writing:
(Image source: Instagram screenshot taken on Fri Jul 22 17:13:03 2022 UTC)
Biden's remarks regarding gas supply, jobs and supply chains were delivered two days apart in December 2021.
On December 1, 2021, Biden's main remarks focused on the nation's supply chains and lower everyday costs for families. He touched on the Omicron variant, COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots, the American Recovery plan and gas prices. The White House transcript can be found here. The video is here.
He talks about gas prices and the supply of oil starting just after eight minutes of his remarks:
But I have not been content to sit back and wait. I've used every tool available to address the price increases. And it's working. Take gas prices: Last week, I announced the largest-ever release from the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase the supply of oil and help bring down prices.
On December 3, 2021, Biden's main topic was the November jobs report. That White House transcript can be found here. He touched on many different topics including the drop in unemployment rates, the effects of the American Rescue Plan and COVID-related issues. He briefly reiterated the same talking points about gas prices he had made two days earlier. The video can be found here. He also took questions from the White House press corps.
He makes these remarks at the 8:23 mark. They are similar but not exactly the same:
But we're not sitting around waiting. In the meantime, I've used every tool available to address price increases, and it's beginning to work. Take gasoline and gas prices. Last week, I announced the largest-ever release from the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase the supply of oil and help bring down prices.
Both events were on different subjects but he touched on several of the same economic policies.
It's extremely common for presidents, and all politicians, to repeat phrases, paragraphs, and entire speeches over the course of a campaign or as part of efforts to promote a particular policy. It is much more uncommon for them to craft different language to make the same point.
