Social media post wrongly implies footage is from 2024 State of the Union | Fact check

Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Post implies it shows footage from the 2024 State of the Union

A March 7 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows manipulated clips of President Joe Biden appearing to give the State of the Union address, as Vice President Kamala Harris sits behind him. Social media filters added in the video alter both of their appearances, including making their eyes bulge and putting long noses on their faces.

“State of Confusion,” the text on screen reads.

The caption says, “Started off by begging for MORE Ukraine money… does my guy…think he’s President… of Ukraine?!” Social media users took the post to mean the footage showed the latest presidential address.

"Is Bernie Sanders still peddling the mask proganda (sic)?" one commenter said, referencing an image in the video of the senator wearing a mask.

Another said, "I didn’t even watch I knew I was going to see many excerpts today!"

The post was liked more than 2,000 times in a day.

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Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim is wrong. The video in the post is from 2023, not this week's State of the Union.

Biden asked Congress to stop blocking assistance to Ukraine in 2024 speech

There are numerous indications in the video that this video is not from 2024, including the clothing worn by Biden and that the person sitting in the speaker of the house's seat is Kevin McCarthy – who was ousted in a historic vote in October 2024. The current speaker is Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana.

Fact check: Profane post attacking SCOTUS justices from parody account, not Keith Olbermann

C-SPAN’s video and transcript of the 2023 State of the Union matches the footage shown in the Instagram video, in which Biden mentioned parents having to drive by McDonald's for better internet service so their kids could complete their homework, healthcare premiums and pharmaceutical companies "making record profits" from charging high prices.

C-SPAN's video shows Biden opened that year's address by giving congratulatory remarks to members of Congress before moving into his speech.

The Instagram caption gets it right that Biden started this year’s address by mentioning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a war that has stretched past its second year. Biden said the United States needed to “stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself.”

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Footage is from 2023 State of the Union, not 2024 | Fact check