Current:Home > ScamsFACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One -CapitalTrack
FACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One
View
Date:2025-04-16 19:31:21
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! (12)
Related
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- The Midwest Could Be in for Another Smoke-Filled Summer. Here’s How States Are Preparing
- 11 hurt after late-night gunfire breaks out in Savannah, Georgia
- U.S. and Saudi Arabia near potentially historic security deal
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Bodies of three hostages, including Shani Louk, recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza, officials say
- Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury by split decision: Round-by-round analysis, highlights
- Man charged with punching actor Steve Buscemi is held on $50,000 bond
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- TikTokers swear they can shift to alternate realities in viral videos. What's going on?
Ranking
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Max Verstappen holds off Lando Norris to win Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and extend F1 lead
- The Midwest Could Be in for Another Smoke-Filled Summer. Here’s How States Are Preparing
- 3 killed in western New York after vehicle hit by Amtrak train
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Ohio Solar Mounts a Comeback in the Face of a Campaign Whose Alleged Villains Include China and Bill Gates
- UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva books boxing match with Chael Sonnen on June 15 in Brazil
- Bernie Sanders to deliver University of New England graduation speech: How to watch
Recommendation
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Harrison Butker decries diversity, but he can thank Black QB Patrick Mahomes for his fame
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
The Dow hit a new record. What it tells us about the economy, what it means for 401(k)s.
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Bodies of three hostages, including Shani Louk, recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza, officials say
Dabney Coleman, 9 to 5 and Tootsie actor, dies at 92
Gabby Douglas out of US Classic after one event. What happened and where she stands for nationals