Biden deepfake announcing US draft resurfaces amid Israel-Hamas war

"NO WAY. The draft," says text over an October 14, 2023 TikTok video.

The post has since been deleted, but the video appears in other clips across the platform and other sites, including Facebook and YouTube.

In the video, Biden appears to say he has decided to "invoke the Selective Service Act, as is my authority as president."

"Remember, you're not sending your sons and daughters to war," he says. "You're sending them to freedom."

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Screenshot from Facebook taken October 20, 2023

The posts took off more than a week after Hamas fighters stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed at least 1,400 people -- mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burned to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.  

At least 4,137 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks by the Islamist militant group, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.

Biden promised "rock solid and unwavering" support for Israel the day of Hamas's bloody attack, ordering US ships and warplanes closer to the country in a sign of solidarity.

On October 19, the president made an impassioned case for approval of a White House request seeking a massive $106 billion national security package, which would include $14 billion for Israel in addition to aid for Ukraine. The Defense Department has also ordered 2,000 troops to prepare for deployment to the Middle East.

But the video of Biden announcing a draft is a fake -- and as of October 20, there was no military conscription in the United States.

Months-old deepfake

Conservative activist Jack Posobiec and the Post Millennial, a Canadian website, first shared the AI-generated Biden clip in February 2023. Both have previously amplified misinformation, including about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Post Millennial's February 27 post sharing the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, says it is fabricated.

"AI imagines what would happen if Biden declares and activates the Selective Service Act and begins drafting 20 years old (sic) to war," the post says.

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Screenshot from X, formerly known as Twitter, taken October 20, 2023

Posobiec appears on screen after the clip to say it is a scripted, AI-generated "pre-creation" showing "what could happen if President Biden were to declare and activate the Selective Service Act."

The longer deepfake also depicts Biden saying General Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided guidance on the decision to authorize a draft. Milley retired from the position in September.

The clip appears to add fabricated audio to footage from a December 7, 2021 speech Biden delivered on insulin prices (archived here). The president's tie and gestures, as well as the background and camera angles, appear to match.

No US conscription

The Selective Service Act, reinstated in 1980, requires almost all American men ages 18 to 25 to add their names to a list from which the government can draw in the event of a national emergency requiring a rapid expansion of the military beyond its volunteer forces.

There has not been a draft since 1973 -- and the Selective Service System says on its website that there is "no draft at present" (archived here). The process would require congressional and presidential authorization.

Andrew Bates, deputy press secretary for the White House, told AFP in an October 20 email that claims Biden has initiated a draft are "false."

Sean Savett, deputy spokesperson for the National Security Council, also said the conscription rumors are "not accurate."

AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war here.