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Separating Fact from Fake News: Did Biden Sit on a Non-Existent Chair in France?
Russian media outlets also picked up this fake news segment.
World leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, gathered in France on June 6, 2024, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 1944. Some Belarusian and Russian pro-government media outlets reported that the president acted strangely, allegedly attempting to sit on a non-existent chair. The Weekly Top Fake team investigated these claims.
Covering the news about the high-officials meeting on June 6, the Telegram channel ATN NEWS — belongs to the Belarusian state-run TV “Belarus-1” — posted a video with the caption: “Joe Biden tries to sit on an invisible chair.” Russian media outlets also picked up this fake news segment.
The Weekly Top Fake team reviewed photos and videos from the event and evidenced that there was indeed a chair present. In the footage, behind Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte, his wife, and Joe Biden, one can see the armrests and back of chairs.
The video shared in the post was edited to cut off right before President Biden sat down on the so-called 'invisible' chair.
However, upon reviewing the full original recording, it becomes clear that President Biden only paused briefly before taking his seat because the emcee had started introducing the next speaker, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
