Biden’s face edited in video of Jan. 6 remembrance speech

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, during a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. A clip taken from Biden’s speech was edited to make it seem as though his face was contorted. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, during a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. A clip taken from Biden’s speech was edited to make it seem as though his face was contorted. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

CLAIM: President Joe Biden’s face appeared pinched inward while he gave a speech on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Altered video. A clip of Biden’s Friday speech marking the attack’s anniversary was edited to change his facial appearance.

THE FACTS: Following Biden’s speech, an edited clip from the address began spreading widely on social media, with some users implying that something was genuinely wrong with his face.

“The impact of what happened on July the 6th had international repercussions beyond what I think any of you can fully understand,” Biden says in the clip, in which his face appears pinched — with his mouth contorted into a frown, his eyes squinted and his nose elongated. Biden referred to the incorrect date in his speech. The White House transcript of the address corrects it to say “[January] the 6th.”

One tweet that shared the clip states: “What on earth is going on with Joe Biden’s face?” It had received more than 26,000 likes as of Wednesday.

Other users questioned the clip’s authenticity.

“Can someone help me here? What on earth is this??” another tweet that shared it reads. “He looks like the demon inside his body is trying to get out. #JoeBiden #JulyThe6th.” The post received more than 9,000 likes.

During his speech, Biden’s face was not actually pinched as it appeared in the clip. The video was edited to make it seem this way. Videos of the remarks released by multiple media outlets, including The Associated Press, do not show Biden’s face contorted in any abnormal way.

Biden commemorated the police officers who were attacked on Jan. 6 during the event, and conferred high honors — the Presidential Citizens Medal — on them, as well as local election workers and state officials who faced intimidation during the 2020 election.

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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.