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.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke October 31, 2020

No, Joe Biden didn’t say America is dead

If Your Time is short

  • While talking about COVID-19, Joe Biden referred to the number of "Americans dead." He didn’t say, "America is dead." 
 

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden returned to Iowa on Oct. 30 and made a final pitch to voters in Des Moines, saying he would be a president to all Americans, even those who don’t support him. 

"Please keep your sense of empowerment," he said, urging Iowans to vote. "Keep your sense of optimism of what we can do together, because you know we can do anything." 

Then he pivoted to the coronavirus and how many people COVID-19 has killed. Acccording to a conservative blog, he said: "America is dead."

"Joe Biden actually told his audience today in Iowa that ‘America is dead’ because of COVID-19," the Oct. 30 post said. 

This post 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.) 

Featured Fact-check

If you listen carefully to Biden’s comments in context, what he actually says is "Americans dead."

At the 4:38 mark of this recording of Biden’s speech posted by C-SPAN, he says: "More than 200 and now I think it’s up to 30,000 people have died, Americans dead because COVID-19 — nearly 1,700 dead right here in Iowa. Iowa hit a record number of daily cases yesterday. It was over 2,300, and a record number of hospitalizations, more than 600."

Biden continued to talk about how the coronavirus has affected the country and he criticized how President Donald Trump has handled the pandemic, saying he has "waved the white flag" and "surrendered to this virus." 

"But the American people don’t give up," Biden said, adding later that "we don’t cower. Nor do I and never will. Unlike Donald Trump, we will not surrender to this virus."

We rate this blog post False.

This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.

 

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

No, Joe Biden didn’t say America is dead

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up