FACT CHECK: Viral Post Falsely Claims To Show Joe Biden ‘Making Out’ With A 15-Year-Old Girl
An image shared on Facebook claims to show former Vice President Joe Biden “making out” with a 15-year-old girl.
Verdict: False
While the photo is authentic, the description accompanying it is wrong. The picture shows Biden briefly kissing his 19-year-old granddaughter on the lips.
Fact Check:
“AMERICA; This is 76 year old Senile Joe Biden!!!” the caption claims. “That is a 15 year old girl with whom he’s making out!!!”
While it is a real picture of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, the description of it in the Facebook post is inaccurate. It shows Biden briefly kissing his granddaughter, Finnegan, on the lips during a February campaign rally in Iowa, according to the caption from the European Pressphoto Agency. Biden was 77 at the time, not 76, while Finnegan was 19, not 15.
“But granddaughters not only love their grandpops but they like them,” Biden said before giving her a peck, per the New York Post. “And that’s the great thing. Thank you, baby.”
Reactions to the quick peck varied online, with some feeling unsettled and others perceiving it as a normal display of affection, the New Zealand Herald reported. (RELATED: Does This Photo Show Joe Biden Posing With Tara Reade?)
Biden has previously faced scrutiny over his interactions with women, some of whom have said he behaved in ways that made them feel uncomfortable, according to Business Insider. He more recently faced a sexual assault allegation from former Senate staffer Tara Reade, an accusation that he has vehemently denied, per NBC News.