IN SHORT: A photo circulating on social media shows US president Joe Biden getting up after a fall, seemingly wearing a white diaper. But the photo has been edited.
A photo circulating on social media in early June 2023 allegedly shows US President Joe Biden in a diaper. With the help of three aids, Biden appears to be getting back up after a fall.
The photo was posted in a public Facebook group with about 1,600 members. It was also shared on Twitter here, here and here by a widely followed parody account mimicking the platform’s owner, Elon Musk.
A screenshot of one of the posts from the parody account was also shared on Facebook here, here, here and here.
Biden’s health has been a subject of speculation, with some polls showing Americans doubting “his mental sharpness and physical health”, and his fitness for office.
Debate over age, health and competence of older presidents
Biden was sworn in as US president in 2021 at the age of 78 (he turned 79 in November of the same year), making him the oldest president in US history. By July 2023, Biden was 80 years old.
Donald Trump, Biden’s main political rival in the 2020 polls, turned 76 in June 2023. Both have announced their intention to contest the 2024 US election, despite concerns that they are “too old”.
The photo of Biden “wearing” a diaper is circulating in a number of African countries, where there has also been an on-going debate about the age, health and competence of some of the continent's presidents.
Biden has been photographed tripping or falling a few times since taking office. This time, was he wearing an adult diaper?
Manipulated photo
A reverse image search led us to video footage of Biden falling. The president was at an Air Force event in the US state of Colorado on 1 June when he tripped and fell. He was reportedly unhurt.
But the photos and videos of the incident do not show Biden wearing a diaper.
A closer look at the circulating photo also shows signs that it was digitally manipulated. The diaper appears to be wrapped outside his trousers, which is unusual.
Claims that Biden’s fall revealed him wearing an adult diaper are false.
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