President Joe Biden admitted having an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
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President Joe Biden speaks during a Democratic National Committee event at the National Education Association Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo)
No, Biden did not admit he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor
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President Joe Biden’s Sept. 23 remarks at a Democratic National Committee event did not include him admitting to an improper relationship with a minor.
A Russian state-run media outlet used recent remarks by President Joe Biden to further the false claim that he is a pedophile.
The caption on a Sept. 26 video on Facebook of Biden’s remarks says, "In words so inappropriate you’d think they were being said by his son Hunter, Joe Biden wowed a teachers’ union when he pointed at a young woman in the crowd and said ‘you gotta say hi to me. We go back a long way. She was 12, I was 30.’"
The video zooms in on Biden and replays his words in slow motion: "She was 12, I was 30."
The caption continues, "In other news, it was found on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop that Joe Biden was listed in Hunter’s phone as ‘Pedo Pete.’ We’re sure that these two stories aren’t related."
The video was flagged as part of efforts by Facebook to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
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The claim — which was posted by Russia Today, an American cable network that is funded by the government of Russia — was the latest addition to a long line of debunked claims that Biden is a pedophile.
It implies that Biden was admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a minor, when he was instead acknowledging a longstanding friendship with an audience member.
On Sept. 23, Biden gave wide-ranging remarks to attendees gathered at the National Education Association headquarters in Washington, D.C. During the roughly half-hour speech, he spoke about climate change, abortion and public education, according to a White House transcript from the event.
About three minutes into the speech, Biden appeared to recognize someone in the audience, who is not shown on camera. He abruptly trailed off and pointed to the person.
"You got to say hi to me. We go back a long way," he says, as the audience chuckled in response. "She was 12, and I was 30. But anyway, this woman helped me get an awful lot done."
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Immediately after the comment, Biden went on to talk about the U.S. being at an "inflection point" and that "democracy itself is on the ballot" come November’s midterm elections.
We reached out to the White House press office for comment and did not receive a reply.
Our ruling
A Facebook post suggests Biden admitted having an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
The claim, shared by Russian state media, baselessly implied that Biden’s comments acknowledging a longstanding friendship with an audience member amounted to him admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The claim referenced other, debunked claims that Biden is a pedophile.
We rate this claim False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Sept. 26, 2022 (Archived)
Video of remarks from President Biden on Sept. 23 at National Education Association Headquarters, accessed Sept. 27 via official Joe Biden YouTube account
Video of remarks from President Biden on Sept. 23 at National Education Association Headquarters, accessed Sept. 27 via C-SPAN
New York Post, "Biden leaves viewers stunned in teachers speech: 'She was 12, I was 30',"
Email interview with White Press Office, Sept. 27
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No, Biden did not admit he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor
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