Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
No, President Joe Biden didn’t address nation from Oval Office the night Iran attacked Israel
If Your Time is short
-
President Joe Biden released a statement condemning Iran’s April 13 attacks on Israel.
-
Presidential addresses from the Oval Office are infrequent and widely covered by news organizations. We found no news reports that Biden delivered such an address on the same day as Iran’s attack.
-
Our mission: Help you be an informed participant in democracy. Learn more.
When a U.S. president speaks to Americans from the Oval Office, it’s often regarding a crisis or an issue of utmost importance.
It’s where former President George W. Bush addressed Americans the evening of the 9/11 terror attack and where former President Donald Trump spoke about the coronavirus outbreak on March 11, 2020.
After Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel on April 13, one social media user claimed President Joe Biden planned to address the American public in a similar way.
"BREAKING NEWS: 5:34 President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. will address the nation from the Oval Office tonight, following Iran’s attack on Israel," read a screenshot shared April 13 on Threads.
The post featured five siren emojis and the words: "I was really hoping not to see this. This isn’t good."
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
It’s easy to understand why the idea of Biden addressing the nation from the Oval Office might have alarmed social media users, but there’s one problem: The claim was inaccurate.
(Screenshot from Threads.)
We found no media reports about Biden addressing the nation from the Oval Office the same day Iran attacked Israel. Biden released an April 13 statement condemning the attacks and describing how the U.S. military had helped defend Israel.
"The U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week," he said in the statement. "Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles."
Biden said he would meet with other leaders of the Group of Seven, or G7, the world’s leading economies, "to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack." The G7 leaders also released an April 14 statement condemning the attack.
Biden did not announce plans to address the nation, and there is no record of such an address on the White House website or the White House’s YouTube channel.
Featured Fact-check
Politico reported that Biden "deliberately kept a low public profile" following Iran’s attacks against Israel in an effort to deescalate the situation.
White House advisers speaking on condition of anonymity told Politico a public address was discussed, but there weren’t immediate plans for Biden to deliver one. Two officials said advisers felt that a televised presidential address "would likely escalate the tensions," Politico reported April 14.
Oval Office addresses are infrequent.
President Joe Biden addresses the nation June 2, 2023, from the White House’s Oval Office. He speech covered the budget deal that lifts the federal debt limit and averts a U.S. government default. (AP)
Biden gave his first Oval Office address in June 2023 after Congress passed a bipartisan bill that would raise the federal borrowing limit and keep the U.S. from defaulting on its debt. In October, following Hamas’ attack on Israel, Biden gave his second Oval Office address, explaining why he believed financial support for Ukraine and Israel was critically important.
We contacted the White House for comment and received no reply.
We rate the claim that Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office on April 13 "following Iran’s attack on Israel" False.
Our Sources
Threads post, April 15, 2024
The White House, Statement from President Joe Biden on Iran’s Attacks against the State of Israel, April 13, 2024
Politico, Biden keeps low profile after Iran’s Israel attack, April 14, 2024
CNN, Biden addresses nation after avoiding catastrophic default: ‘The stakes could not have been higher,’ June 2, 2023
The Associated Press, Biden celebrates a ‘crisis averted’ in Oval Office address on bipartisan debt ceiling deal, June 2, 2023
The White House YouTube channel, President Biden Addresses the Nation from the Oval Office, Oct. 20, 2023
NPR, Biden appeals for more funding for Ukraine and Israel in rare Oval Office address, Oct. 19, 2023
NBC News, Biden urges aid for Israel and Ukraine and calls on Israel 'not to be blinded by rage,' Oct. 19, 2023
CBS News, What Iran launched at Israel in its unprecedented attack, and what made it through the air defenses, April 15, 2024
NBC News, From the archives: George W. Bush’s Oval Office speech on 9/11, Sept. 11, 2001
C-SPAN, Presidential Address on the Coronavirus Outbreak, March 11, 2020
The White House, G7 Leaders’ Statement on Iran’s Attack Against Israel, April 14, 2024
The White House’s YouTube channel, accessed April 15, 2024
The White House, Statements and Releases, accessed April 15, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Madison Czopek
No, President Joe Biden didn’t address nation from Oval Office the night Iran attacked Israel
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.