President Joe Biden faced the press on Thursday following a NATO summit in Washington, addressing concerns about his capabilities and chances of defeating Donald Trump in 2024. During the conference, Biden made several claims that are now being fact-checked.
First, Biden made a gaffe earlier in the day when he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.” Biden later corrected himself by saying, “I said, ‘No, I’m sorry, Zelensky.’ And then I added five other names.” However, a fact check reveals that Biden did not utter five other names after the correction.
Biden also spoke about his travel schedule before the CNN presidential debate, claiming he would not travel 15 time zones a week before the event. This statement is misleading as Biden did not travel abroad a week before the debate and returned to the US 12 days prior for intensive debate preparations.
Regarding Trump’s NATO position, Biden inaccurately described Trump’s comments at a recent rally when he claimed Trump said, “I just learned about NATO.” In reality, Trump had acknowledged not knowing much about NATO prior to his first alliance summit as president in 2017.
Biden also made a comment about Hamas and the West Bank, stating, “There is a growing dissatisfaction in, on the West Bank, from the Palestinians, about Hamas. Hamas is not popular now.” However, polling data suggests that Hamas’ popularity has increased in the West Bank since the group’s attacks on Israel last October.
Additionally, Biden’s claim that the United Auto Workers (UAW) union “just” endorsed him is misleading, as the endorsement actually took place more than five months ago.
Finally, Biden discussed his opposition to the occupation of Afghanistan, claiming he was “totally opposed” to the idea. However, historical records show that Biden was initially a supporter of a sustained military presence and nation-building efforts in Afghanistan before changing his stance as Vice President under Barack Obama.
