“Joe Biden calls Pennsylvania voters who don’t support him ‘chumps.’”
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in campaign stop at Bucks County Community College in Bristol, Pa., Oct. 24, 2020. (AP)
Biden called Trump supporters disrupting his rally ‘chumps’
If Your Time is short
- Joe Biden called a group of Donald Trump supporters disrupting his rally in Pennsylvania "chumps." He didn’t call all Pennsylvania voters who don’t support him chumps.
Recent Facebook posts claimed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was caught insulting President Donald Trump’s supporters, but they took his comments out of context.
"Joe Biden calls Pennsylvania voters who don’t support him ‘chumps,’" the posts said.
They 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.)
On Oct. 24, Biden held a rally at a parking lot in Bucks County, Pa., north of Philadelphia, when Trump supporters could be heard "making a ruckus from a short distance away," according to the Associated Press.
CNN reported that the Trump supporters were playing music, honking and shouting "four more years" as the former vice president spoke. In this video, tweeted by a CNN correspondent, Biden can be heard amid the din. He could also hear the noise, and addressed it.
Featured Fact-check
Around the 22:15 mark of this video, honking can be heard in the background as Biden says: "I am running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president for everybody. I’ll work as hard for those who don’t support me as those who do, including those chumps at the microphone out there."
So Biden did call some of Trump’s supporters "chumps" during a rally in Pennsylvania. But the claim in the Facebook post that Biden calls Pennsylvania voters who don’t support him "chumps" gives the impression that Biden was denouncing all such voters who don’t cast a ballot for him. That’s not the case.
He was referring to a very specific group of people — those disrupting his speech — and not all of the president’s supporters in the state. And his comments came as he was saying that he would be a president for all Americans, not just those who support him.
We rate this Facebook post Mostly False.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Oct. 26, 2020
Facebook post, Oct. 25, 2020
The Associated Press, The latest: Pence’s top aide tests positive for coronavirus, Oct. 29, 2020
CNN tweet, Oct. 24, 2020
CNN, Impromptu Trump rally seen outside Biden event in Pennsylvania, Oct. 24, 2020
MJ Lee tweet, Oct. 24, 2020
YouTube, Joe Biden Bucks County speech, Oct. 24, 2020
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
Biden called Trump supporters disrupting his rally ‘chumps’
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.