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President-elect Joe Biden, wearing a medical boot, leaves his motorcade as he arrives at The Queen theater Dec. 1 in Wilmington, Del. (AP)
No, Biden isn’t wearing a boot to hide an ankle monitor
If Your Time is short
- Joe Biden injured his foot while playing with his dog.
- There’s no evidence to support the claim that he has an ankle monitor.
President-elect Joe Biden injured his right foot after he slipped while playing with his German shepherd, Major, on Nov. 28.
His doctor said in a statement that a CT scan confirmed small hairline fractures in Biden’s foot and that "he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks."
But an unfounded conspiracy theory is spreading on social media as some people claim that the boot is for another purpose: hiding a new ankle monitor.
"Our Chinese fren has confirmed that Biden has flipped," one post said, using a slang term for "friend." "His information has been spot on since day one. Biden is willing to sing and concede in exchange for immunity for him and his family. He’s being fitted for an ankle monitor and will soon be wearing a standard FED issued walking boot to hide it. The official cover story is that he sprained his ankle while playing w his dog."
"Well, there it is. #AnkleMonitor," said another post after video footage showed Biden walking in his new boot.
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These posts were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Newsweek reported that the claim is being amplified by believers in the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, which maintains that President Donald Trump is fighting a deep state coup and that Democrats and celebrities are running a child sex-trafficking ring.
We’ve previously debunked claims that actor Tom Hanks was photographed wearing an ankle monitor because he was purportedly arrested in Australia for pedophilia and that former President Barack Obama and talk show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres were wearing ankle monitors because they were under house arrest for child trafficking crimes.
We found no evidence to substantiate the claim that Biden is wearing an ankle monitor or that he was arrested.
We rate these claims Pants on Fire.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Dec. 1, 2020
Facebook post, Dec. 1, 2020
New York Times, Biden shows off a new accessory: a walking boot, Dec. 1, 2020
CBS News, Joe Biden’s doctor says he suffered ‘hairline fractures in foot after he slipped while playing with dog, Nov. 30, 2020
Newsweek, QAnon supporters think Biden’s medical boot is hiding ankle monitor following secret arrest, Dec. 1, 2020
PolitiFact, Another Tom Hanks hoax about unfounded criminal allegations, July 23, 2020
PolitiFact, Bogus conspiracy about Obama, others wearing house arrest monitors sprads online, June 18, 2020
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No, Biden isn’t wearing a boot to hide an ankle monitor
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