Biden did not doze off listening to Hawaii wildfire victims

"Joe Biden just fell asleep in the middle of his meeting with victims of the Maui fires," says an August 22, 2023 post from Matt Wallace, a far-right social media personality who has previously shared misinformation about the wildfires on the island of Maui.

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Screenshot from Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X," taken August 22, 2023

Similar posts spread across Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X," as well as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Conservative commentators and politicians such as Fox News host Sean Hannity, US Congressman Troy Nehls and Richard Grenell, Donald Trump's former acting director of national intelligence, amplified the claims.

Biden traveled to Hawaii on August 21 to tour the scene of the worst wildfires the United States has seen in more than a century. The visit came nearly two weeks after the blazes leveled the historic town of Lahaina, killing at least 114 people.

Despite the rumors on social media, Biden did not nod off while meeting with more than 100 survivors and their family members at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Many of the claims cite low-resolution, abridged clips -- some as short as 12 seconds -- taken from Hawaii News Now's live coverage (archived here). Others share screenshots from the footage.

But the full video shows Biden coughing into his hand before bowing his head and nodding as one survivor talks about losing his and his family members' homes in the fires.

Seconds later, Biden lifts his head again.

Higher-quality footage from C-SPAN (archived here) shows Biden's eyes open, moving and blinking after he bowed his head and lowered his gaze.

"This was manipulated," White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told AFP of the clips circulating online.

Bates also shared an article from the fact-checking outlet Snopes on X, including in response to a post from Congressman Andy Ogles, who said: "Imagine the President of the United States falling asleep while you're describing the effects of the deadliest fire in the last 100 years. This is absolutely disgusting."

Bates replied (archived here): "Actually, you have to 'imagine' it. Because it did not happen. What's 'absolutely disgusting' is how easy you find lying to your constituents."

Similarly edited or altered videos purporting to show Biden sleeping have circulated online for years, often amplified by opponents who argue the Democrat is too old for the job at 80.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Hawaii wildfires here.