Fact check: Biden didn't manipulate July 4 image for his New Year's Day message
The claim: Joe Biden edited a Fourth of July picture and reposted it for New Year’s Day
On New Year's Day, President Joe Biden shared a message across his social media accounts.
"In 2022, we’re going to keep building a better America," it read. Along with the message was an image of Biden standing next to his wife, Jill, watching fireworks from a balcony. A decorated tree is visible to the right in the image.
Social media users quickly began sharing posts claiming the president took a July 4, 2021, photograph, edited it and reused it to accompany his greeting.
"Lets (sic) just take a pic from July 4th, (supposedly at the WH) throw in a Christmas tree to the right," reads the caption of a Jan. 2 Facebook post.
The post accumulated more than 2,200 interactions in three days. The claim also circulated on Twitter.
"So they photoshopped out the white tents and put a fake tree in it's place," one commenter wrote.
Except that's wrong. The photo from July is the same one Biden posted on Jan. 1, without any alterations.
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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.
No editing – it's the same picture
Biden repurposed an image from July 2021, but it wasn't manipulated in any way.
A comparison of the original image and the image posted on New Year’s Day shows it's the same one. Both images show the fireworks and the tree with decorations.
The original image was captured by official White House photographer Adam Shultz and posted on the photo-sharing website Flickr.
"President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden watch fireworks from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House Sunday, July 4, 2021," reads the caption. It added that the celebration was on the South Lawn.
Associated Press images from July 4, 2021, show the tree from a different angle.
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The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Biden edited a Fourth of July picture and reposted it for New Year’s Day. The photo that the president posted on his social media accounts is the same one the White House captured on July 4, 2021. There was no manipulation.
Our fact-check sources:
President Joe Biden, Jan. 1, Instagram post
President Joe Biden, Jan. 1, Facebook post
President Joe Biden, Jan. 1, Tweet
The White House on Flickr, July 4, 2021
Associated Press Images, July, 4, 2021, BIDEN JULY 4
Associated Press Images, July, 4, 2021, BIDEN JULY 4
Associated Press, Jan. 3, Biden staff didn’t manipulate photo for New Year’s greeting
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Biden didn't alter July 4 image for New Year's Day message
