'Bottomless Pinocchio': Even uber-liberal WaPo disses Joe Biden over multiple false claims
WASHINTON, DC: President Joe Biden earned a 'Bottomless Pinocchio' rating from the Washington Post on the eve of Election Day as the publication debunked all of his misleading statements. The outlet refuted Biden's claims about traveling with Xi Jinping, how much gas prices have come down, and increasing social security checks.
Washington Post's fact-checker Glenn Kessler first noted Biden's claims about traveling with Jinping. "Folks, I spent a lot of time, more time with Xi Jinping than any other head of state. … I've traveled 17,000 miles with him," Biden said at a rally in San Diego on November 3. The outlet claimed that there was no evidence to show he's traveled with the Chinese leader anywhere close to that much.
READ MORE
Jeff Bezos schools Joe Biden in 'market economics' after POTUS's 'time of war' tweet
Biden made the claim in reference to another anecdote that he told the crowd when Jinping allegedly asked him on the Tibetan Plateau, "Can you define America for me?" And Biden claimed he said, "Yes, one word, possibilities. Possibilities. We believe anything is possible. We really do." Biden, who had spent two decades as ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was assigned the task of getting to know him when it became clear under the Biden administration that he would be next in line for the presidency in China.
"If Biden did travel with Jinping, in the same plane or vehicle, is totaled up, it's far less than 17,000," claimed Daily Mail. "If his travel to meet with Xi is tallied, it's more. For this claim, Biden received the 'bottomless Pinocchio,'" which the Post describes as "false or misleading statements repeated so often that they became a form of propaganda." Another one of Biden's claims was how much gas prices had come down and the increase in social security checks under his presidency. Biden claimed that gas cost $5 a gallon when he entered office and worked to bring the "most common" price down to $3.39.
"Today, the most common price of gas in America is $3.39, down from over $5 when I took office," Biden said at a rally in Syracuse on October 27. The average gas price the week Biden took office was $2.48, prices did not average $5 per gallon until June. Another misleading claim made by Biden was, "On my watch, for the first time in 10 years, seniors are getting an increase in their social security checks," which he said in Florida on November 1, and his Twitter account was promptly fact-checked. The White House later deleted the tweet. At first, Twitter added a note to the original tweet. "Seniors will receive a large Social Security benefit increase due to the annual cost of living adjustment, which is based on the inflation rate," it said. Inflation has risen to a four-decade high under Biden's presidency. The September inflation rate hit 8.2%, with most Americans facing a dire financial situation as they struggle to afford basic utilities and cope with expensive medical bills.