President Joe Biden lives and leads, video notwithstanding

Social media users might have been surprised to find a 26-minute Facebook video alleging a U.S. leadership change that the media hushed up. 

"Situation Update 7323 ~ Biden Died Kamala Sworn in But (Main Stream Media) Silent," said the caption on the video posted July 4, which was later removed from the platform. The claim remained on Rumble.com, a website known for spreading misinformation.

The Facebook video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The Facebook video begins with footage of former U.S. Army Col. Douglas Macgregor speaking on the "PBD Podcast" — named after its host, Patrick Bet-David — about the U.S. banking system and election security. Macgregor was an adviser to the defense secretary in the Trump administration and has been known to promote conspiracy theories.

After that clip, an unidentified narrator reads "Restored Republic via a GCR: Update as of Mon. 3 July 2023," a document containing copious conspiracy theories, including that a massive restructuring of the global financial system is coming and the 2020 election was fraudulent. 

At the video’s 3:06 mark, the narrator repeats the claim from the video’s caption: "#1 BOOM!!! Biden Said to Have Died of a Heart Attack at 12:30 pm EST on Sat. 1 July 2023. Harris to be Sworn In. Media Told To Be Silent." The narrator cites a July 1 episode from "The Truth Seeker 88 News" on Rumble. 

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In that episode, just before the 9-minute mark, the speaker says Biden died and cites 4chan, an anonymous online forum that spread misinformation during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 

The Rumble video’s speaker appears to be Mike Penny, whom The Washington Post described in a 2022 story as a "leader" of Truth Seekers 88. Penny’s "lengthy videos offer a stream of QAnon conspiracy theories claiming that former president Donald Trump will save the country from the grip of a child-trafficking cabal and that his return to power is all part of a plan," the story said. 

Despite the claims in the Facebook and Rumble videos, Joe Biden remains alive and at the helm of the U.S. with Kamala Harris as his vice president.

Biden made several public appearances after July 1, the date the claim says he died, including speaking at a White House celebration on the Fourth of July.

Harris spent July 4 in Los Angeles, where she visited L.A. Fire Department Station 39.

We rate the claim that Biden is dead and Harris was sworn into office Pants on Fire!