FACT CHECK: Biden Makes Claims About His Life In Howard Stern Interview

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

President Biden made a variety of claims during his interview with Howard Stern Apr. 26. Here are fact-checks of a few of them.

“And you came and got arrested standing on the porch with a Black family. They brought you back, the police,” Biden quoting a conversation between him and his mother in which he claimed he was arrested during the civil rights movement. 

The claim is false. The Washington Post previously debunked the claim in a January 2022 article, noting that Biden had repeated the story of his purported arrest during the civil rights movement on multiple occasions. Biden shared the story once in 2017, twice in 2018, and twice in 2020, including while on a Zoom conversation with TV host Oprah Winfrey, according to the outlet.

Likewise, on all but one occasion, Biden claimed the purported arrest occurred in Lynnfield, whereas when he told the story in 2017, he said it’d occurred in Carrcroft. Both Lynnfield and Carrcroft are areas in Delaware.

The News Journal reported in February 1959 about a protest in Collins Park, Delaware at the home of a black family. Seven people were arrested and two were hurt as a result of the protest. Biden is not mentioned in the article. Politifact cited the in a January 2022 article and also labeled Biden’s claim as false.

Additionally, the outlet referenced an Associated Press February 1959 article that described the Collins Park protest as well as a second protest in Carrcroft. This article did not mention Biden at all, let alone his supposed arrest, either.

CNN also labeled Biden’s claim as false. (RELATED: Does This Image Show A Pro-Palestine Flyer At Columbia University Protest?)

“By the way, I don’t think a lot of people know that you were a star receiver in high school, you were like the first-string guy. You were the guy who caught the ball.” -Howard Stern

“Runner-up in state scoring, you know.” -Joe Biden

Biden attended Archmere Academy in high school, where he played wide receiver and left halfback on the football team, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian.

The outlet reported that in 1960 Biden was fifth in the “the conference scoring race” with four touchdowns.

“When his four non-conference games are also taken into account, Biden’s point total that year skyrocketed to 60, putting him among the highest in the state of Delaware,” the outlet reported. Yahoo News reported in 2021 that he was third overall in scoring that year.

Check Your Fact could not find any evidence that he finished second in any other year. Biden has made the claim before, saying he was the runner-up during a summit of Native American nations, according to the New York Post.

“Did you ever save anyone’s life when you were a lifeguard? Was anyone ever drowning?” -Howard Stern. 

“Yeah..yeah about half a dozen times, usually younger kids, you know.” – Biden. 

Biden was a lifeguard at a predominantly African-American pool in Wilmington, Delaware when he was 19, according to The Washington Post.

Reporting about Biden’s time as a lifeguard, such as 2019 articles from the Washington Post, focus on the lessons Biden learned about race during the time and his interactions with gangs and a man known as Corn Pop.

The pool where Biden worked, then known as Prices Run Park, was renamed the Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Aquatic Center in 2017, according to Delaware Public Media. Check Your Fact could not find any independent reporting about Biden saving people while he was a lifeguard.

Check Your Fact has contacted the White House for comment on Biden’s claims. We will update this article if a response is provided. (RELATED: No, Michelle Obama Did Not Announce She Is Running For President ‘As A Man’)

Christine Sellers contributed to this report. 

Editor’s note: This article is based on available information. If any more information becomes available, this article will be updated. 

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
Follow Elias on Twitter Have a fact check suggestion? Send ideas to [email protected].

Trending