Manipulated video of Joe Biden browsing dementia books spreads online
- Published on July 21, 2023 at 21:29
- 3 min read
- By Ede ZABORSZKY, AFP Hungary, AFP USA
- Translation and adaptation Bill MCCARTHY
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"Biden went to the bookstore, but just don't laugh ...... walks into dementia books department," says a July 15, 2023 tweet from "Spriter Team," an account that has previously spread disinformation about the president and his allies.
The same clip spread widely across Twitter and other platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. It also circulated in other languages.
Similar posts 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.
But like many previous examples, the video of Biden in the books section has been digitally manipulated.
Reverse image and keyword searches revealed that CBS News posted the original footage -- which shows no sign on the table -- to YouTube in November 2012 (archived here). The broadcaster's logo is visible is visible in the lower right corner of the altered version spreading online.
The description attached to the original video, taken during former president Barack Obama's tenure, reads: "Vice President Joe Biden stopped by the new Costco store in Northeast Washington, D.C. on Thursday to do some holiday shopping, buying children's books, electronics, and other goods at the wholesale retailer."
C-SPAN posted an even longer recording of Biden's time browsing books (archived here).
Asked what he was shopping for around the C-SPAN video's 7:40 mark, Biden said he was looking for books for participants in Book Buddies, a program his wife Jill Biden had helped found to encourage reading among children of low-income families.
Other news organizations, including AFP and CNN, also captured footage from Biden's visit, and the Obama White House highlighted the trip with its own video (archived here). None of the clips show the sign mentioning dementia featured in the altered video circulating online.
AFP captured photos showing the then-vice president's time perusing the store's items, as well.
Biden's official medical report from February (archived here) does not mention any dementia diagnosis and says he is "fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency."
AFP has debunked other misinformation about US politics here.
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