By: Umme Kulsum
March 8 2024
No, Joe Biden didn't admit directed energy weapons leave blue roofs unaffected
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Screenshot of post claiming that Biden admitted DEWs don’t affect roofs that are blue. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
Biden's remarks were taken out of context. He made no mention of blue roofs nor of directed energy weapon (DEWs) in his speech.
Claim ID 206db0ff
What's the claim?
A 14-second video from an address by U.S. President Joe Biden is circulating on social media with the claims insinuating that the American leader admitted to using directed energy weapons or DEWs during recent wildfires. In the video, Biden is heard saying, "If you fly over these areas that are burned to the ground, you'll see, in the midst of 20 homes that are just totally destroyed, one home sitting there because it had the right roof on it."
A user on Facebook shared the video with the caption, "What we have here is Biden admitting DEWs (Direct Energy Weapons) don't affect roofs that are blue. I swear it's like we're being punked or better yet in a Twilight Zone like I've said forever (sic)." Archived versions of the post and similar ones can be viewed here and here.
This narrative is also viral on social media platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). Archived versions of the posts can be accessed here and here.
Several users have also linked Biden's speech to the recent wildfires in Texas. They have attributed the February Texas wildfires, reported to be one of the biggest disasters of the kind in the region, to DEWs based on the viral video. Such claims (archived here) follow the same trend as observed during the 2023 fires in Maui, Hawaii (spelled Hawai'i locally), when conspiracy theorists linked the tragedy to DEWs.
Screenshots of some of the viral claims. (Source: X/ Modified by Logically Facts)
However, we found that President Biden's remarks have been taken out of context.
What did we find?
We traced the origin of the viral video and found that it was taken from a speech the President delivered on March 1.
Upon reviewing the extended video posted by the White House, the same day, it is evident that when Biden mentioned "roof" during his address, he was discussing improved methods for withstanding natural disasters and had mentioned nothing about DEWs.
We also accessed the full transcript of Biden's speech in question from the White House website and found that Biden was discussing "standards" and "building codes," in the context of the Texas wildfires. He did not say anything about the color blue as claimed in the viral post.
Around the 1:48 timestamp in the White House video, we can hear him saying, "Well, my administration is going to keep building on the progress we've made fighting the climate crisis. And we're going to keep — help folks rebuild themselves in the wake of these disasters. And we rebuild to the standards that are up — the up-to-date standards and building codes and the rest. Because a lot of—if you fly over these areas that are burned to the ground, you'll see, in the midst of 20 homes that are just totally destroyed, one home sitting there because it had the right roof on it."
This confirms that Biden was addressing the standard rules and building codes to withstand natural disasters such as the Texas wildfire.
The narrative that blue-colored items allegedly survive DEW-induced fires, implying that many wildfires are not accidental but caused intentionally by advanced weapons (like DEWs), has become widely popular in the past months, and the theory was also propagated during the Maui fires. Our fact-check debunking such claims can be read here.
Experts also told Logically Facts that current DEW technology is not at a stage where it can trigger massive disasters without being detected. Read our analysis here.
Additionally, aerial visuals of the aftermath of the Texas wildfire published by Reuters show a residential structure that is not blue left unburnt in the fire, as seen in the image below.
Image showing aftermath of Texas wildfire. (Source: Reuters)
Aerial photos and drone shots of the aftermath of the wildfires published by other news outlets, like Getty Images, Reuters, AFP, and CBS News, also show structures with white and brown roofs that were not damaged by the wildfires.
Aerial shots of the aftermath of Texas wildfires. (Source: CBS News/Reuters/Screenshots)
The Texas wildfires
Texas, particularly the Panhandle region, has been battling massive wildfires since late February 2024. According to a report by the Associated Press, the fire caused widespread devastation. It prompted evacuations in a handful of small communities, destroyed as many as 500 buildings, and killed two people and thousands of livestock.
According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, power lines ignited massive wildfires across the Texas Panhandle.
The verdict
U.S. President Joe Biden's recent remarks have been misinterpreted. He discussed the importance of fortifying homes against natural disasters by adhering to modern standards and building codes in his address. He makes no mention of DEWs or the color blue. Therefore, we mark this claim as false.
