No, U.S. President Joe Biden Did Not Make Transphobic Comments in an Official Speech

By: Rajini KG
April 5 2023

Share Article:

Context

Three children and three adults were killed in a mass shooting at Covenant School, Nashville, on March 27, 2023. Initially, reports stated that the shooter was identified by the police as a trans person, but Reuters reported on March 31 that the police had clarified that they did not know the shooter's gender identity.

In the backdrop of this incident and a rising tide of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation in the United States, a video of U.S. President Joe Biden allegedly making statements against the trans community went viral on social media. On March 27 itself, a Twitter user posted the video and wrote: "BREAKING NEWS: President Joe Biden says what he really thinks about LGBTQ+, and Transgenders specifically. WARNING If you are transgender, this may hurt your feelings (sic)." The video appears to show Biden making transphobic comments

However, the video shared in the tweet is fake. A clip from a longer video of the U.S. President's remarks from a January 25, 2023 press briefing has been digitally altered with a fake voiceover.

In Fact

Logically examined the viral video and found certain visual cues that indicated that the video may have been morphed. Biden’s mouth does not perfectly sync with the words he utters in the viral video, indicating that it may have been edited. We then found that the video has a time stamp on the left side and a White House stamp above it. We checked the White House website and couldn't find any reports or videos related to Biden's comments.

Recently on March 31, 2023, Biden spoke about Transgender Day of Visibility and the discrimination and attacks faced by trans persons. Further, he said his administration would stand to end discrimination and support the trans community.

Through a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video, we found that the original video it is using is two months old. Biden spoke at a press conference on January 25, 2023 about America's continuing support to Ukraine to fight the war against Russia. The White House YouTube channel posted the video on the same day, titled: "President Biden Delivers Remarks on Continued Support for Ukraine."

We found that Biden's attire and background from the January 25 press conference match the viral video. Also, between 4:10-5:36 minutes, Biden's gestures exactly match those being made in the viral video. In the video, he talks about "Supporting Ukraine’s ability to fight off Russian aggression to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity is a worldwide commitment. It’s a worldwide commitment. Last week, in Germany, Secretary Austin convened the Ukraine Defense Contact Group for the eighth time. This group is made up of some 50 nations — 50 nations — each making significant contributions of their own to Ukraine’s integrity, each fully committed to making Ukraine remain strong and independent and able to defend itself against Russian threats and violence....." The full version of the statement can be found on the White House website. He makes no mention of trans persons or homosexuality in the original video.

ABC News also published the same video under the title "President Joe Biden approves sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine." The relevant segment can be viewed, with the actual oudio from 4:00 minutes onwards in the ABC version.

It is clear, therefore, that an older video of Biden, where he makes no mention of trans persons, has been digitally altered to add a fake voiceover with transphobic comments. 

The Verdict 

A video clip of a press briefing given by U.S. President Joe Biden on January 25, 2023 – on America's continued support to Ukraine – has been digitally altered to add a fake voiceover with transphobic comments. Therefore, we mark this claim as false.