FACT CHECK: Did Joe Biden Say ‘Hello, Minnesota’ At A Campaign Rally In Florida?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden saying “Hello, Minnesota” while at a campaign event in Tampa, Florida.

Verdict: False

The banner and podium have been digitally manipulated to make it seem like Biden was in Florida. Unaltered video from the event shows that Biden was in Minnesota and correctly greeted attendees.

Fact Check:

Social media platforms have been replete with misinformation about politicians such as Biden in the lead up to Election Day. Over the weekend, social media users widely shared a video appearing to show Biden mistakenly saying “Hello, Minnesota” at a campaign stop in Tampa. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Joe Biden Waving At An Empty Field?)

In the video, Biden takes the stage as music plays in the background. He then says, “Hello, Minnesota. Jessica, thank you for being here, for sharing your story.” Behind him, the banner appears to bear the words “Tampa, Florida,” while the podium in front of him seems to include the phrase “Text FL to 30330.”

However, the words on the banner and podium have been digitally altered to falsely suggest Biden forgot what state he was in. Videos from C-SPAN and Bloomberg News show that both actually had the words “Text MN to 30330” on them at the event, which was held on Oct. 30 in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the doctored video, “Tampa Bay, Florida” has been superimposed above “Battle for the Soul of the Nation” in the banner and “MN” has been changed to “FL” on the podium.

The altered video seems to have originated on Twitter, where one version received over one million views before it was labeled under Twitter’s “manipulated media” policy, according to CNN. The user who posted that version later deleted the tweet.

Biden did campaign in the Tampa area Oct. 29, where he spoke at the Florida State Fairgrounds, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Video from Biden’s YouTube channel shows he used a different banner at the Tampa drive-in rally.

This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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