Fact Check: Did a viral convoy video falsely claim Joe Biden was taken to Walter Reed?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the rumors surrounding the health of President Donald Trump, which the White House denied, a rumor has emerged—this time regarding the health of former President Joe Biden, who is claimed to have been at Walter Reed Medical Center. Let us analyze the origins of the rumor and fact-check the viral claim.
Claim: Rumors about Joe Biden being at Walter Reed Medical Center spread online
Hours after the speculation surrounding Trump’s health was debunked by the White House, rumors about the health of Biden began circulating widely online.
Posts on X claimed that Biden may have been hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda or was facing a serious health episode.
The post was accompanied by a video of a group of siren-equipped convoys supposedly traveling to Walter Reed with Joe Biden.
The video garnered more than one and a half million views as of this writing, with many believing it to be true, while some denied it as fake.
Fact Check: No evidence Joe Biden was transported to Walter Reed Medical Center
However, despite his absence from the public due to his cancer diagnosis, the claim is false. There are also no official statements or news media reports about Biden being transported to the health center.
The claim likely originated from MAGA accounts in response to rumors about Trump’s health.
A fact check by Grok stated, “That convoy in the photo (and the related video from the main post) isn't tied to Joe Biden or Walter Reed. Close inspection shows UK-style plates and highway markings—it's footage from Britain, not a US presidential motorcade."
"No credible reports, White House statements, or news confirm any such visit by the former president. Similar unverified rumors yesterday targeted President Trump and were denied outright. Pure speculation.”
Trump health rumors dismissed by White House amid speculation
The White House’s rapid-response account on X addressed rumors suggesting that Trump was ill or unable to perform his duties, linking the speculation to the press blackout.
It said, “Deranged liberals cook up insane conspiracy theories when (Trump) goes 12 hours without speaking to press. (They said nothing when Biden routinely goes 12 days without speaking to the press) Fear not! President Trump literally never stops working.”
At the same time, the White House unexpectedly limited press access to Trump starting at 11 am, as reported by The Guardian journalist Hugo Lowell on social media.
Lowell wrote, “The White House has called a travel/photo lid as of 11 am ET, meaning we do not expect to see the president for the rest of the day,” and added, “Trump is in Washington this weekend, but we are yet to have a formal news briefing on the situation with the missing airman in Iran.”
