Fact Check: Did Joe Biden say Obama was running the White House during his presidency?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that former President Joe Biden admitted that Barack Obama was running the White House when he grew tired. The rumor has been spread by netizens who mocked the former presidents, while a few remained sceptical. Let us fact-check the viral claim.
Claim: Barack Obama used to run White House during Joe Biden's presidency
According to the viral rumor, Joe Biden admitted in an interview with ABC News that Obama used to run the White House when he got worn out.
The viral post came with a caption stating, “BREAKING: During an interview with ABC News, former President Joe Biden admitted that Barack Obama was running the West Wing ‘when I got a little worn out.’ Even reporter David Muir was stunned.”
"You're saying that when you weren't feeling up to it, an unelected former President was making decisions for the country?"
"I guess so," replied Biden, "It sounds pretty bad when you put it like that." “Looks like Sleepy Joe's handlers are a little worn out as well.”
Fact Check: False, claim originated as a satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that Biden made such a remark. There is also no recent interview of Biden with ABC News or David Muir.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no relevant results that support the claim, which, if true, would have been widely covered by credible news media outlets.
Moreover, the claim originated from a popular parody account called ‘America’s First Line of Defense,’ which posts such fake and unverified claims for the sake of engagement.
An overlay text on the bottom of the post even states, “Nothing on this page is real.”
Democratic presidents slammed for releasing funds to Iran
The claim surfaced at a time when the Democratic presidents are facing scrutiny for the payments their administration released to Iran.
President Donald Trump and the officials in his administration have reiterated many claims about the payments, alleging they were used by Iran to fund their nuclear program, amounting to $17.6 million combined.
Since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, the claim was amplified by MAGA accounts, who used it to attack Democrats and the previous administration for collaborating with the Islamic Republic.
