Joe Biden’s Speedy Speech at Press Conference Debunked
An Instagram post dated Nov. 18 (direct link, archive link) purported that President Joe Biden spoke slowly and in a questionable manner while addressing fentanyl at a news conference.
The video showed Biden not just speaking slowly but also displayed text calling him a “doofus” superimposed over. It went on to garner more than 14,000 likes in a mere nine days.
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Fact Check: The Video has been Altered
Further investigation revealed that the Instagram video was altered, showing Biden speaking at a slower pace than he actually was. An authentic version of the same fentanyl address delivered by Biden on Nov. 15, as captured by C-SPAN and CNN footage directly counters the slowed-down portrayal in the viral Instagram post.
The doctored video took snippets of the original speech and slowed them down, leading to the creation of a false narrative.
In the speech, Biden referenced discussions with the Chinese president, emphasizing the need to stop the illegal import of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors from China to the United States.
Related fact check: Profane chant was digitally edited into a Biden speech on gun violence
USA TODAY’s attempts to obtain comments from the individual who posted the video on Instagram have not been acknowledged thus far.
Our fact-check sources:
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C-SPAN, Nov. 15, President Biden Holds News Conference at APEC
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CNN (YouTube), Nov. 15, President Joe Biden holds news conference after Xi Jinping meeting
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DEA Intelligence Report, January 2020, Fentanyl flow to the United States
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NPR, Nov. 15, Biden announces new agreements with China on fentanyl and resuming military talks
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Altered video distorts pace of Biden speech | Fact check
