FACT CHECK: Did Joe Biden Fake A Recent Visit To A Children’s Hospital?
A post shared on Facebook claims President Joe Biden recently faked a visit to a children’s hospital in Washington, D.C.
Verdict: False
The president’s visit to the pediatric hospital was not faked. The visit took place at the hospital’s Seacrest Studios, an interactive area that allows the children to learn about various media formats.
Fact Check:
Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the Children’s National Hospital in D.C. on Christmas Eve, according to the president’s public schedule available on Factba.se. Since then, Facebook users have been sharing a screen grab showing the Bidens with the words “Seacrest Studios” circled in red, alleging the president faked the visit to the children’s hospital using a movie set.
“Everything Biden says or does is a lie,” reads one such Facebook post. “On Christmas Eve, the Sock Puppet and his fake doctor wife pretended to visit a ‘children’s hospital.’ What it was instead was a film studio – Seacrest Studios – mocked up to sort of look like a children’s hospital.”
The claim that Joe and Jill Biden faked their Christmas Eve visit to Children’s National Hospital is baseless. The Associated Press has published photos from the visit of Biden and his wife interacting with patients at the hospital. There is also a video taken by Reuters that depicts the couple speaking to and reading with the pediatric patients.
The “Seacrest Studios” sign visible in the screen grab being shared on Facebook is not an indication of the event being faked. Children’s National Hospital has had a Seacrest Studios in its atrium since 2015, according to the hospital’s website. The Ryan Seacrest Foundation established it and other such studios in various pediatric hospitals, according to the nonprofit’s website.
“Established by the Ryan Seacrest Foundation in 2015, our state-of-the-art facility gives kids an interactive space to explore radio, television and social media, share their on-air talents and participate in entertaining programs that are broadcast directly to patient rooms,” Children’s National Hospital explains on its website. “Our studio is the ultimate playroom, providing fun games, arts and crafts and other creative outlets that contribute to the healing process for children and families dealing with illness.”
Diana Troese, the manager of public relations at Children’s National Hospital, also confirmed to Check Your Fact that Joe Biden’s visit occurred. (RELATED: Does This Image Show Joe Biden With Jeffrey Epstein?)
“Seacrest Studios is located in the main atrium of Children’s National Hospital, which is where the visit occurred,” she said. “It is a radio station for our patients, established as part of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.”