Image shows Nancy Pelosi drunk and being kissed by President Barack Obama.
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No, this photo does not show Nancy Pelosi inebriated, either
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- This photo is a cropped version of a photo taken Sept. 30, 2016, at Joint Andrews Base as Pelosi, Obama and other dignitaries debarked Air Force One after attending funeral services for former Israeli president Shimon Peres.
- Other photos show the scene from a different angle. There is no indication Pelosi was inebriated.
- Pelosi doesn't drink alcohol.
An image making the rounds on social media purports to show House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a "drunken" pose as President Barack Obama puckers near her cheek.
"Oh that ‘Crazy Nancy,’" reads text inside the image. "This needs to go viral. I’m sure she doesn’t want this drunken photo out there of her."
The image, which was posted Oct. 10 and shared hundreds of thousands of times, was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
It is a cropped version of a photo taken Sept. 30, 2016, at Joint Andrews Base by Reuters photographer Kevin Lamarque.
"U.S. President Barack Obama kisses House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi upon their return from Israel to Joint Base Andrews in Washington September 30, 2016," reads a caption on an archived version of the photo.
Featured Fact-check
Pelosi, then House minority leader, and Obama were returning from Jerusalem, where earlier in the day they attended the funeral service for former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres.
Also returning on that flight were President Bill Clinton and then-Secretary of State John Kerry.
Another photographer from Getty Images was present for the plane debarking, and captured images from a different perspective showing the group walking single file down a mobile staircase.
News stories from that day included coverage of Clinton’s and Obama’s remarks at the Nobel peace laureate’s funeral. Pelosi’s office that day released a statement recognizing Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which would soon begin.
What we do not find in legitimate news archives is any coverage that suggests Pelosi, who does not drink alcohol, was drunk upon her return. But we have seen similar claims suggesting she was publicly inebriated many, many, many times before.
We rate this False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Oct. 10, 2020
Reuters Pictures photo archives, accessed Oct. 11, 2020
Getty Images photo archives, accessed Oct. 11, 2020
PolitiFact, Why false claims about Nancy Pelosi being drunk keep going viral — even though she doesn’t drink, Aug. 3, 2020
PolitiFact, Michele Bachmann accuses Nancy Pelosi of spending $100,000 on alcohol for flights drink, Sept. 21, 2020
PolitiFact, Claim of Nancy Pelosi drunk on House floor is fabricated, June 29, 2020
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No, this photo does not show Nancy Pelosi inebriated, either
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