Joe Biden conspiracy theory: Viral video suggests president faked candid interview because of 'optical illusion'
President Joe Biden recently became the victim of a conspiracy theory that he was trying to fake a candid interaction with the press by acting in front of a green screen. On March 16, the 46th POTUS was walking to a buzzing helicopter on the White House grounds when he stopped briefly to talk to a group of reporters, a couple of whom were holding large boom mics.
"Do you have any plans to travel to the southern border?" a reporter asked. "Not at the moment," Biden responded, before answering another question about Covid-19 vaccines and moving on. It's worth noting that the moment is rather unremarkable and does not feature any headline-grabbing statement. However, an optical illusion has led netizens to believe that the whole thing was faked and actually staged in front of a green screen.
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The false claim has spread like wildfire across the Internet, especially with a YouTube video that has received almost a million views. The post is titled "Biden fakes interview, green screen fails" and alleges that "the reporters were not there" because Biden's hand appeared to move through the microphones in the footage. Facebook's fact-checking service has flagged the viral post in its efforts to combat false news and misinformation on the platform.
Hoax or optical illusion?
According to Politifact, the aforementioned YouTube video uses two clips of Biden interacting with the press -- one from The Hill and the other from the Washington Post. Just around the 9-second mark, Biden's hands appear to move in front of the microphones, which appear bubbled and as if they weren't there. While there's no denying the visual was rather bizarre, it still doesn't prove the President was talking in front of a green screen.
Voice of America reporter Steve Herman, who claims he was holding one of the microphones, responded to the rumors swirling across social media on March 17. "I was the one holding the lighter-colored fuzzy microphone and thus literally in front of @POTUS on the South Lawn," Herman tweeted. "It’s all real."
I was the one holding the lighter-colored fuzzy microphone and thus literally in front of @POTUS on the South Lawn. It's all real. Who actually believes this 'faked moon landing' type nonsense and more importantly who is spreading it? https://t.co/9V3t0oqDz6
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) March 17, 2021
Herman also shared a video that noted how the microphones were on long booms and may have given the illusion that something is amiss. Mick West, a conspiracy theory writer who made the video, recreated a similar arrangement in his own yard and found that the effect is the same. "It does look weird, but once you understand what’s going on, it’s pretty obvious," he says in the video.
Meanwhile, several images from that day show Biden, the microphones, and the reporters shot from other angles. This Reuters image taken by photographer Tom Brenner shows the president from the side talking to reporters who are standing several feet away with their boom mics extended forward. This Getty Images snap by photographer Drew Angerer shows Biden from behind the microphones. Meanwhile, this Washington Post video shows the interview from a different angle than the misleading video that went viral.
According to Politifact, it is understandable that the clip being shared on social media looks rather odd, but "it’s not a hoax. It’s an optical illusion."
