Barack Obama urged people on Sept. 10, 2001, to “report to work tomorrow” at the World Trade Center.
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No, Obama didn’t post a video message telling people to go to work on 9/11
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- An image that appears to show a screenshot of Barack Obama urging people on YouTube to go to work on 9/11 isn’t real.
On the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a screenshot of what looks like an old YouTube post from former President Barack Obama spread online.
In the image, the video appears paused on a photo of Obama altered to make his eyes look yellow. The video title: "President Obama — Please go to work tomorrow." It also says "published on Sept. 10, 2001" by "BarackObama.com," and includes this description: "If you work in the Twin Towers please report to work tomorrow and thank you."
Instagram posts sharing this image were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
This isn’t an authentic video announcement from Obama. YouTube didn’t exist in 2001, and Obama wasn’t president, or even a U.S. senator, then.
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YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the first video — a clip of him at a zoo — on April 23, 2005.
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We rate claims this is a real video message from Obama Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Instagram post, Sept. 11, 2022
Instagram post, Sept. 11, 2022
CNN, The first ever YouTube video was uploaded 15 years ago today. Here it is, April 23, 2020
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No, Obama didn’t post a video message telling people to go to work on 9/11
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