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.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Sara Swann
By Sara Swann May 15, 2023

No, this photo doesn’t show Biden touching a child inappropriately

If Your Time is short

  • This photo of President Joe Biden is altered.

Social media users are claiming to have photographic evidence of President Joe Biden touching a child inappropriately. But the image is altered.

A May 13 Instagram post shared a photo of Biden kneeling in front of a child and appearing to touch the child inappropriately. Text on the photo reads, "This is what people ‘voted’ for?"

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 and Instagram.)

A reverse-image search revealed the photo is altered.

Featured Fact-check

The original photo shows Biden kneeling in front of the child and pointing at the child’s T-shirt, which had an American flag on it. The photo was taken by The Associated Press during Biden’s October 2021 visit to the Capitol Child Development Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

In a video of the interaction, available on C-SPAN, the child is seen walking up to Biden and showing off the tee. Biden kneels down to talk to the child and points at the shirt’s American flag design.

This is not the first time a photo has been deceptively altered to accuse Biden of malfeasance. PolitiFact has previously debunked these claims.

We rate the claim that this photo shows Biden touched a child inappropriately Pants on Fire!

Our Sources

Instagram post, May 13, 2023

Reverse image search via Yandex, May 15, 2023

Associated Press images, photo of Biden, Oct. 15, 2021

Alamy, Associated Press photo of Biden, Oct. 15, 2021

C-SPAN, "President Biden Visit to Child Care Center in Hartford, Connecticut," Oct. 15, 2021

PolitiFact, "Fact-checking the pedophilia attacks against Joe Biden," Aug. 12, 2020

PolitiFact, "No, this photo doesn't show Joe Biden engaging in disturbing behavior with a boy," Feb. 17, 2019

PolitiFact, "No, this isn’t a photo of Biden making out with a 15-year-old girl," May 28, 2020

Reuters, "Fact Check - Altered image of Biden with child shared online," Dec. 29, 2022

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Sara Swann

No, this photo doesn’t show Biden touching a child inappropriately

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up