No (sigh) Biden didn't fall asleep during debate | Fact check
The claim: Biden fell asleep during debate
A June 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows video of a man on a gold throne speaking to the camera about the presidential debate beneath a split image of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
“Joe Biden Fell Asleep On The PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Against Donald Trump On Live TV,” reads the post’s caption.
The video was shared more than 700 times in less than a day and circulated widely on Instagram.
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Our rating: False
At no point during the roughly 90-minute debate did Biden fall asleep. The video includes old clips of Biden with his eyes closed.
Video uses old clips of Biden with eyes closed
Biden and Trump spent about 90 minutes trading policy plans, attacks and falsehoods June 27 during the first debate to pit a sitting president against one of his predecessors. One of the main takeaways centered around the 81-year-old Biden's struggle to ease concerns about what is perceived as a key liability – his age and acuity.
But at no point did Biden fall asleep during the debate, as the post claims. The Facebook user provided no evidence to support the claim, and no footage aired during the CNN broadcast shows the president dozing off.
Fact check: Presidential debate fact check: What Trump, Biden got right (and wrong)
The four-minute video in the post includes three separate clips of Biden having his eyes closed for longer than a blink. But none show him against the debate backdrop or wearing the same clothes he wore during the event – a navy suit with a light blue tie and an American flag pin on his left lapel.
One clip – which repeats in the video – is from 2011, when the then-vice president was seen closing his eyes during President Barack Obama’s speech on deficit reduction.
Another, which also appears twice, matches a GIF that dates to at least 2020 and shows Biden closing his eyes and beginning to shake his head. The clip cuts away just as his first head movement begins.
A third matches a GIF of Biden closing and then opening his eyes and looking up behind Obama while he delivered the State of the Union in 2014.
Biden’s acuity has been the subject of misinformation on social media. USA TODAY has debunked false claims that Biden agreed to resign if he fails a cognitive test and that he was declared “mentally unfit” to stand trial.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the video but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
CNN (YouTube), June 27, CNN Presidential Debate: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump
USA TODAY, June 28, A look at the presidential debate: See Biden, Trump showdown in photos
CBS (YouTube), April 13, 2011, Obama puts Biden to sleep with budget speech?
CBS News, April 13, 2011, Did Biden fall asleep during Obama deficit speech?
Tenor.com, Sept. 3, 2020, Joe Biden GIF
Buzzfeed News, Jan. 29, 2014, 9 Things Joe Biden Did At The State Of The Union That Were More Interesting Than Obama's Speech
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden didn't fall asleep during Trump debate | Fact check
