PolitiFact rated a viral moment involving President Joe Biden “false.”
After delivering a speech at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, Biden turned to his right and held his hand out for what appeared to be a handshake.
There was no one next to him.
Biden proceeded to wander on stage for a moment. He then exited.
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The moment sparked mockery and criticism.
In a lengthy Twitter thread, PolitiFact came to Biden’s defense.
“You might have seen a clip of President Joe Biden ‘shaking hands’ with thin air. It never happened,” PolitiFact stated.
The fact-checking website noted the claim “appeared on YouTube and Twitter, shared by Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz. It even appeared on Instagram, where Snoop Dogg shared the video with his followers.”
According to PolitiFact, “Videos show that Biden was actually pointing at the audience behind him with his whole hand. He acknowledges the right side, then the left, and begins to walk forward.”
The statement claims the video is “one of many that form a history of comedic and embarrassing presidential moments that garnered public attention. Efforts to portray presidents as ineffective or seize on moments that make them look that way are not new.”
PolitiFact argued the “supposedly embarrassing presidential moments going viral online aren’t fully authentic or fake,” adding, “Instead, real photos and videos have been edited in misleading ways — ways that will usually find a receptive audience.”
The website then quoted research scientist Mike Caulfield, saying, “When we look at something that seems like one of these human moments, we’re like, ‘I don’t need to know anything. I can see it right there.'”
He added, “It does breed, I think, a false sense of confidence in us.”
Concluding the report, PolitiFact stated, “The clips of Biden gesturing to those seated in the audience are being misconstrued to appear as if he was trying to shake hands with air. We rate this claim False.”