Video of Karine Jean-Pierre saying US, Ukraine defeated Hitler, Stalin is altered | Fact check

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Video shows Karine Jean-Pierre claiming the US, Ukraine defeated Hitler, Stalin in World War II

A May 8 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows what appears to be an exchange between a reporter and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

"Karine Jean-Pierre said that World War II was won by the Americans and Ukrainians, who fought together against Stalin," the post's caption states.

In the video, Jean-Pierre is purportedly asked about U.S. support for Ukraine's “manifestations of Naziism." She appears to respond, “79 years ago, the United States and our Ukrainian allies joined forces to combat the oppressive regimes of Hitler and Stalin. While Berlin is now an ally, the threat from the East persists. That's why we're committed to standing by Ukraine and offering our full support in any way we can."

A version of the video was shared more than 1,000 times on X, formerly Twitter.

Fact check roundup: What's true and false two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: Altered

The clip was digitally edited to add fabricated audio. The original video of the May 7 White House press briefing shows the reporter asking about humanitarian relief in Gaza, not World War II alliances.

Doctored clip includes Russian subtitles, fabricated audio of question, answer

The 29-second video shows Jean-Pierre answering a question from Andrew Feinberg, a reporter for the London-based Independent, during a press briefing May 7 at the White House.

But the question he posed had nothing to do with Ukraine, and Jean-Pierre’s response made no mention of any World War II alliances. The doctored clip with Russian subtitles includes fabricated audio that does not match the lip movements from either the reporter or Jean-Pierre.

Fact check: No, Biden is not sending US troops to fight Russian troops in Ukraine

In the original video posted to YouTube by the White House, the reporter asks Jean-Pierre if President Joe Biden’s administration plans to pressure Israel into allowing humanitarian aid to reach those in Gaza affected by famine.

Jean-Pierre’s answer had nothing to do with World War II. She called the closings of two Gaza crossings “unacceptable” and said Biden phoned Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to tell him they should be open.

None of the questions she was asked during the briefing about the Russia-Ukraine conflict had anything to do with World War II.

The fabricated video also mischaracterizes the alliances during that war. The U.S. and the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, were on the same side against Nazi Germany, which under Adolf Hitler occupied most of the Ukrainian territory.

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

PolitiFact and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House briefing video doctored to add WWII reference | Fact check

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