Fact Check: Video Clip Supposedly Shows Biden Asleep in 2021 Meeting with Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett. We Took a Closer Look
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Claim:
A screenshot circulating on social media in April 2024 shows Joe Biden asleep during a press conference in 2021 with then-leader of Israel Naftali Bennett.
Rating:
On April 15, 2024, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted a screenshot of a press conference involving former Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett and Joe Biden alongside a claim the U.S. President fell asleep while the pair were speaking.
Don't repost this, because CNN doesn't want you to know that Joe Biden fell asleep during a press conference he held with Naftali Bennett. pic.twitter.com/lX5EX6Kz6O
— Joel Fischer 🇺🇸 (@realJoelFischer) April 15, 2024
It was not the claim's first appearance on social media. In 2021, numerous X accounts, including those of Breitbart News and now-British-MP George Galloway, made the claim following the Aug. 27, 2021, press briefing between the two leaders.
"I thought Biden was dead!" | US President Joe Biden falls ASLEEP during a meeting with Israeli PM Naftali Bennett
Catch up on the full show here: https://t.co/ZmJOQ9Uzrl | @RTUKNews pic.twitter.com/kVXB28q43A— George Galloway MP (@georgegalloway) August 30, 2021
Similar posts appeared elsewhere on X in 2024, where some accounts claimed the press conference was recent, as well as YouTube and TikTok.
However, as we noted in our 2021 fact check, the screenshot was misleading, as it only showed a single moment in a longer video featuring Biden and Bennett.
The August 2021 media conference, which was available to watch on C-SPAN, showed the pair speaking for at least 10 minutes. At 10:18, the U.S. President lowered his head for around 30 seconds while the Israeli PM spoke. During this time, Biden was moving his hands and twiddling his thumbs. As soon as Bennett finished speaking, the U.S. leader responded directly to what his Israeli counterpart was saying. Biden was talking and engaging with Bennett throughout the rest of the clip.
In addition to Snopes, numerous news outlets addressed the false claim back in 2021, including Reuters, Associated Press and USA Today.
Snopes has previously addressed false claims about Biden allegedly falling asleep. In fact, politicians on both sides of the aisle have been targeted by rumors aiming to undermine their mental fitness for office.
Sources:
'Biden Didn't Fall Asleep during Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister'. AP News, 30 Aug. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-215632941610.
'Clips Cut Biden's Response during Israeli PM Meeting'. Reuters, 29 Aug. 2021. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2Q00H8/.
Link, Devon. 'Fact Check: President Joe Biden Did Not Sleep through Meeting with New Israeli Prime Minister'. USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/08/31/fact-check-video-shows-biden-awake-meeting-israeli-pm/5655374001/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
President Biden Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett | C-SPAN.Org. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4974852/president-biden-meets-israeli-prime-minister-naftali-bennett. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
