Current:Home > NewsFACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One -Visionary Wealth Guides
FACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One
View
Date:2025-04-17 07:57:04
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! (82322)
Related
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- 2-time All-Star Ja Morant defended himself during pickup game fight, judge says
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard Files for Divorce From Ryan Anderson 3 Months After Prison Release
- A man led police on a car chase, drove off a 100-foot cliff on Long Island and survived
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Captain James Cook and the controversial legacy of Western exploration
- Why Below Deck's Familiar New Stew Is Already Starting Drama on Season 11
- NAIA, small colleges association, approves ban on trans athletes from women's sports
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Once Upon a Time’s Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas Make Rare Red Carpet Appearance
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- 'I luv all my dogz': Mug Root Beer offering free drinks if UConn wins NCAA championship
- Celebrities You Didn't Know Were on Cameo, Including Reality Stars, Athletes, Comedians & More
- Evers vetoes a Republican-backed bill targeting PFAS chemicals
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Concessions are ridiculously cheap at the Masters. But beer will cost a little more this year
- Huskies repeat. Connecticut cruises past Purdue to win second national title in row
- Dawn Staley earns $680,000 in bonuses after South Carolina captures championship
Recommendation
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
50th anniversary of Hank Aaron's 715th home run: His closest friends remember the HR king
Taylor Swift, Khloe Kardashian, Bonnie Tyler and More Stars React to 2024 Solar Eclipse
Bachelor Nation’s Trista Sutter Shares Update on Husband Ryan Sutter's Battle With Lyme Disease
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
The trial of an Arizona border rancher charged with killing a migrant has reached the halfway point
Gwyneth Paltrow's Son Moses Shows Off Uncanny Resemblance to Chris Martin in New 18th Birthday Photo
Woman shoots interstate drivers, says God told her to because of the eclipse, Florida police say