Fact Check: Video Purports to Show People Yelling Expletives at Biden in Sheetz Convenience Store. Here's the Truth
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Claim:
In a video of U.S. President Joe Biden visiting a Sheetz convenience store in April 2024, people can be genuinely heard yelling expletives at him.
Rating:
On April 29, 2024, Simon Ateba — a Cameroonian journalist who is listed as the chief White House correspondent for Today News Africa — reshared on X (formerly Twitter) a video showing U.S. President Joe Biden in a Sheetz convenience store in Pittsburgh on April 17. According to the post and video, several people made negative remarks toward Biden, including multiple uses of a particular expletive. The post read, "SEE IT: Woman to Joe Biden, 'F*** you,' and 'Thanks for nothing.' WATCH."
Ateba previously made news in August 2023 after what Fox News called a series of "blowups" inside the White House briefing room, as well as a controversy regarding the renewal of his "hard pass" to access the White House grounds. He also reportedly sued White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the Secret Service regarding the same issue of his credentials.
President Joe Biden greets employees at a Sheetz gas station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)
As for the video, Ateba's post reshared a previously uploaded clip from another user, @Pedro88473426.
The clip's audio had been manipulated. The original, unmanipulated video simply featured what sounded like an off-screen reporter asking Biden a question. No one can be heard saying "Thanks for nothing" or shouting expletives at Biden inside the convenience store in the original video.
Biden visit a Sheetz gas station in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/x0ba0UQHFJ
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 17, 2024
The audio with people saying "Thanks for nothing" and cursing Biden was taken a completely different video that featured Biden's motorcade driving past bystanders during his visit to Hawaii following the Maui wildfires in August 2023:
Biden was greeted quite appropriately in Maui yesterday.
“Wow! He’s finally here after 13 days!”
“Thanks for nothing!”
“F You!”
Yep, sounds about right to me! 🤣🤣🤣
What an utter EMBARRASSMENT. pic.twitter.com/YxNRNEFTQU— The Patriot Voice (@TPV_John) August 22, 2023
Snopes contacted Ateba by email to ask whether he planned on posting a correction after resharing the manipulated video, seeing as BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh had already replied to alert him and others about the misinformation. We also asked the other user, @Pedro88473426, about the origin of the manipulated video. This story will be updated if we receive a response.
Sources:
Farhi, Paul. "White House Warns Reporter Simon Ateba about His Press-Room Outbursts." The Washington Post, 12 July 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/07/12/simon-ateba-white-house-warning/.
Hagstrom, Anders. "White House Reporter Sues Karine Jean-Pierre after Losing Press Pass." Fox News, 13 Aug. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-reporter-sues-karine-jean-pierre-losing-press-pass.
@HowardMortman. "Biden Visit a Sheetz Gas Station in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania." X (Formerly Twitter), 17 Apr. 2024, https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1780697179512057959.
"Simon Ateba." Today News Africa, https://todaynewsafrica.com/author/simon-ateba/.
Stokols, Eli, et al. "Simon's No Longer Got a Hard Pass." Politico, 2 Aug. 2023, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2023/08/02/simons-no-longer-got-a-hard-pass-00109526.
