FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Joe Biden Kneeling Down To ‘Plead With’ George Floyd’s Son?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows President Joe Biden kneeling down to “plead with” the son of George Floyd.

Verdict: False

The image does not show Floyd’s son, but rather the son of a Detroit store owner.

Fact Check:

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in May last year during an incident in which, according to video, a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes. His death sparked protests against police brutality and racial injustice across the U.S. and abroad, CNN reported.

The Facebook post shows a photo of Biden kneeling in front of a child, with the caption claiming it depicts the president “kneeling down to plead with George Floyd’s son after his father was killed by a white police.” While Floyd is survived by children, the pictured boy is not Floyd’s son.

A reverse image search revealed the photo instead shows Biden speaking with the son of a Detroit, Michigan store owner in September 2020. The picture that appears in this particular Facebook post was taken by photographer Chip Somodevilla for Getty Images. (RELATED: Does This Photo Show Joe Biden Kneeling And Apologizing To George Floyd’s Daughter?)

“Wearing a face mask to reduce the risk posed by the coronavirus, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden kneels to chat with C.J. Brown while shopping at Three Thirteen, an apparel store on the city’s Avenue of Fashion, September 09, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan,” reads the image’s caption.

The Detroit Free Press published several photos from Biden’s visit to the Detroit clothing store, one of which identifies the child as the son of the store owner. Another photo available on Reuters Connect shows Biden speaking to the store’s owner with the young boy nearby.

Check Your Fact previously debunked the claim that a similar image showed Biden with Floyd’s daughter.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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