Current:Home > NewsFACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One -SecurePath Capital
FACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:54:14
False reports that President Joe Biden had a “medical emergency” while traveling back to Delaware on Friday after a campaign stop in Wisconsin, spread widely on social media on Friday. They were without merit.
Here’s a look at the facts.
___
CLAIM: President Joe Biden had a “medical emergency” aboard Air Force One on Friday.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There were no signs of a medical emergency on the flight, according to an Associated Press reporter who was traveling with Biden. Air Force One arrived at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Delaware, at 7:22 p.m. The president exited the plane on his own, saluted and spoke with an officer at the base of the stairs and took a question from a reporter before leaving the airport.
THE FACTS: As Biden returned to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, after a campaign stop in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday social media users falsely claimed that the president had suffered a “medical emergency” aboard Air Force One.
Air Force One landed in New Castle, Delaware, at 7:22 p.m. about the same time posts started spreading about Biden’s alleged medical emergency.
“I just received a tip from an anonymous source,” reads one X post. “My source says that Joe Biden is currently experiencing a medical emergency on Air Force One as I type this. No further details are known.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
Another X post states: “Joe Biden is reportedly having a medical emergency on Air Force One right now. Press access has been removed.” It had received approximately 15,000 likes and 10,900 shares as of Saturday morning.
The posts presented no evidence that such an event occurred. Press access was not removed.
Video shows Biden walking down the steps of Air Force One in Delaware, speaking with an officer, answering a reporter’s question about whether he would watch a highly anticipated interview he did with ABC News’ George Stephanopolous and getting into a car, all without issue.
There were no signs of an emergency aboard Air Force One and the press was not denied access to the plane at any point, according to an AP reporter who was traveling on Air Force One with Biden during the flight from Wisconsin to Delaware. The reporter added that press was able to move about the plane as usual and that a door separating press from Biden’s top staff was open for most of the flight.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates called the claim “100% false” in an X post on Friday night.
Other posts claimed that the press did not see Biden when the presidential motorcade arrived at his home Friday night and that his campaign had canceled upcoming events as a result of the supposed emergency.
A press pool was in Biden’s motorcade when he was dropped off at his Wilmington home, according to the AP reporter who was traveling with the president. The reporter said journalists did not see him enter the house, but they routinely do not see him enter his Wilmington home because it is set back from the street and it is typical to only see the motorcade going through the gates leading to the house.
Biden had no public events planned for Saturday. He was scheduled to speak at a National Education Association convention on Sunday, but canceled after the union’s staff announced a strike on Friday.
“President Biden is a fierce supporter of unions and he won’t cross a picket line,” his campaign said in a statement. “The President is still planning to travel to Pennsylvania this weekend.”
___
Associated Press reporters Colleen Long and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
___
Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
veryGood! (1722)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- DWTS’ Artem Chigvintsev Says He Lost $100K in Income After Domestic Violence Arrest
- White evangelical voters show steadfast support for Donald Trump’s presidency
- AI DataMind: SWA Token Builds a Better Society
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Olympian Madeline Musselman Honors Husband Pat Woepse After Fatal Cancer Battle
- Panthers to start QB Bryce Young Week 10: Former No. 1 pick not traded at the deadline
- In Portland, Oregon, political outsider Keith Wilson elected mayor after homelessness-focused race
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Questions about sexual orientation and gender ID on track to be on US Census Bureau survey by 2027
Ranking
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- 30 quotes about stress and anxiety to help bring calm
- This '90s Music Icon's Masked Singer Elimination Will Leave You Absolutely Torn
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard posts paternity test results to quell rumors surrounding pregnancy
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Halle Bailey Deletes Social Media Account After Calling Out DDG Over Son Halo
- Jennifer Lopez appears 'Unstoppable' in glam press tour looks: See the photos
- Giuliani to appear in a NYC court after missing a deadline to surrender assets
Recommendation
Trump's 'stop
Jennifer Lopez appears 'Unstoppable' in glam press tour looks: See the photos
Bowen Yang Apologizes to Ariana Grande for Being Over Eager About SNL Kiss
Emirates NBA Cup explained: Format, schedule, groups for 2024 NBA in-season tournament
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Kate Spade x M&M's: Shop This Iconic Holiday Collection & Save Up to 40% on Bags, Shoes & More
Emirates NBA Cup explained: Format, schedule, groups for 2024 NBA in-season tournament
SEC clashes Georgia-Ole Miss, Alabama-LSU lead college football Week 11 expert predictions