Politics
FACT CHECK: Do These Photos Show Joe Biden Disregarding Coronavirus Precautions At A Rally Announcing His Running Mate?
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Images shared on Facebook purportedly show former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats disregarding coronavirus precautions at the event to announce his 2020 running mate.
Verdict: False
The images are from a rally in early March before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised the public to wear face coverings.
Fact Check:
The post circulating features three pictures of Biden on stage with other Democrats, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Sen. Kamala Harris, who was recently named Biden’s 2020 running mate. In the photos, none of them are wearing masks or practicing social distancing, nor does the crowd behind them appear to be doing so.
“Look at these Photos of Biden making the announcement of his Running Mate,” reads text in the post. “All these Democrats gathering, No Masks, No Social Distancing. It’s obvious Democrats don’t practice what they’re feeding the rest of the American People.”
However, these pictures were not taken recently. Through a reverse image search, the Daily Caller News Foundation discovered they come from a March 9 rally in Detroit, Michigan, months before Biden announced Harris as his pick for vice president. Photos of the rally from Getty Images show the politicians wearing the same clothes as those in the collage of images being shared.
The Getty Images caption for a photo of Biden clasping hands with Whitmer and Booker reads, “Sen. Kamala Harris (L) (D-CA), Sen. Cory Booker (R)(D-NJ), and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer join Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden on stage at a campaign rally at Renaissance High School on March 09, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan.”
The rally occurred two days before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and four days before President Donald Trump declared it a national emergency. The CDC didn’t recommend people wear face coverings in public settings until early April, weeks after the rally had taken place.
Michigan announced on March 10 that it had confirmed its first presumptive coronavirus cases.
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