
The White House in the past week has railed against so-called “cheap fakes,” videos edited to look as if President Joe Biden has “frozen” or was wandering away at major public events, while media outlets amplifying the moments have done little to add context.
The videos include one at a D-Day ceremony earlier this month, another at a Juneteenth ceremony last week and still another the G7 summit Thursday. The latest to go viral is a video at the end of Biden’s star-filled Los Angeles re-election fundraiser over the weekend.
As the moments have spread beyond RNC Research talking points to right-wing media figures and some mainstream outlets, White House and campaign officials have pushed back at the videos as edited, cropped or missing a larger context.
“They are cheap fake videos, they are done in bad faith, and some of your news organizations have been very clear, have stressed that some of these right wing critics of the president have a credibility problem because fact checkers have repeatedly caught them pushing misinformation,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
Biden’s age is an issue in the election — as is Trump’s. For a third cycle in a row, whoever wins in November will be the oldest person elected to the White House. Yet in part because of a stiff gait and a stutter, as well as some other moments, Biden’s age has been of far greater focus of the mainstream press than his rival.