US President Joe Biden (R) meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 18, 2023 ( AFP / Mandel NGAN)

Posts falsely claim Biden asleep during White House meeting

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on July 20, 2023 at 22:09
  • 2 min read
  • By Natalie WADE, AFP USA
A video of Joe Biden is fueling online claims that the US president was asleep during a meeting with the president of Israel. This is false; the clip was shortened and the original footage shows him looking down briefly at a document and resuming the conversation moments later.

"NEWS ALERT: JOE BIDEN FALLS ASLEEP MOMENTS AGO IN THE MIDDLE OF IMPORTANT MEETING AT THE WHITE HOUSE," says a July 18, 2023 tweet.

Alongside this is a seven-second video with no audio of Biden looking down at his lap.

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Screenshot of a tweet taken July 20, 2023

Similar claims spread in online articles, and on other social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

Biden met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on July 18, 2023, amid rising tension between the two countries. Israel's plans to reform its court system and expand Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, sparked criticism from several US congressional Democrats.

Although the footage shared on social media shows his head pointed down and eyes possibly closed, the claim that he fell asleep is false.

The full video of the exchange available on C-SPAN (archived here) shows that the clip has been shortened, omitting images showing Biden placing a document in his lap, which he references as he gives his remarks.

In the moments following the clip, Biden looks up from the notes as he continues to speak with Herzog.

Coverage of the meeting shared on YouTube by CBS also shows this, seen below:

Multiple photographers, including from AFP, who were present at the event captured images that clearly show Biden had the document resting in his lap.

Additionally, the official White House transcript of the meeting (archived here) shows no gaps or indication that Biden was asleep at any point during the public portion of the meeting.

AFP reached out to the White House for comment but a response was not forthcoming.

Similarly edited or altered clips purporting to show Biden sleeping, confused or misreading social cues have targeted the Democrat for years, often amplified by opponents who argue he is too old for the job at 80 and frequently attempt to label him as "sleepy."

AFP has debunked other misinformation about US politics here.

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