Says Biden had to take a private plane to D.C. instead of a government plane “because they know he’s not a legitimate president” and "the military is now responsible for restoring legitimate civilian government.”
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Biden took a private plane to his inauguration. He’s still the legitimate president
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Biden’s form of travel has nothing to do with the legitimacy of his presidency. The post simply repeats variations of elaborate claims that have no credible evidence or basis in truth.
Joe Biden was duly sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20, despite false claims that the outgoing administration formulated a scheme with the military that would have kept Donald Trump as president for another four years.
Many who believed these QAnon conspiracies have realized the so-called "storm" was never coming. But on social media, some are still trying to hold on to the baseless conspiracy theory in the face of evidence that shows otherwise.
One post shared widely on Facebook claims that Biden took a private jet to Washington D.C. for his inauguration, an indication, the post says, that Biden is not the legitimate president and that the military will soon take over the government.
"That’s why they didn’t send a government plane for the President-Elect," the lengthy post says, "because they know he is not a legitimate President and, once he was sworn in, the government became illegitimate (belligerent) and the military is now responsible for restoring legitimate civilian government."
The 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.)
Biden is in fact, the legitimate president, and the military is not taking over the government.
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Biden, once a devoted Amtrak commuter, originally planned to travel to Washington by train from Delaware, but that plan changed when it was deemed too great a security risk. So he took a private jet, which was also a break from tradition.
Usually the outgoing administration provides a government plane to bring the president-elect to Washington for the inauguration. Trump, who refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory until early January, opted to not attend the inauguration, becoming the first outgoing president in more than a century to skip the event.
We reached out to the White House, but couldn’t confirm whether the Trump administration offered to provide transportation to the Bidens. CNN reported that "a source familiar with the matter" said the government didn’t offer the Bidens a plane, but did not provide further details.
Regardless, Biden’s form of travel has nothing to do with the legitimacy of his presidency. The post is simply repeating variations of claims for which there is no credible evidence or factual basis.
We rate it False.
RELATED: Don't fall for rumors about a Trump-led military takeover, emergency alerts
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 20, 2021
PolitiFact, How we know Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential race, Nov. 13, 2020
CNN, CNN explains why Biden's flight to DC is so unusual; The Bidens are flying a private plane to Washington, marking another break in protocol, Jan. 19, 2021
Time, As Trump Plans to Skip Biden's Swearing In, Here Are 3 Other U.S. Presidents Who Dodged Their Successors' Inauguration, Jan. 19, 2021
Curbed, Biden’s Amtrak Ride to His Inauguration Has Been Derailed, Jan. 14, 2021
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Biden took a private plane to his inauguration. He’s still the legitimate president
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