Video shows a military chaplain praying, “Please get rid of Joe Biden and bring back the real president, Donald J. Trump.”
Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
President Joe Biden with first lady Jill Biden speaks to service members and military families at Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Va., for the "friendsgiving" meal, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP)
No, this video doesn’t show a military chaplain praying to ‘get rid’ of Joe Biden
If Your Time is short
-
The video’s audio was edited. The military chaplain did not pray to "get rid of" President Joe Biden and "bring back" Donald Trump.
-
The video clip comes from footage of a Thanksgiving event the Bidens held Nov. 19 for military service members and their families.
-
The military chaplain mentioned neither Biden nor Trump during his prayer.
Social media users are sharing a video that claims to show a military chaplain praying for President Joe Biden’s removal from office — as he stands near Biden himself.
In the video, shared Nov. 22 on Instagram, a military chaplain stands on stage in front of Biden, first lady Jill Biden and a third person. The military chaplain appears to say, "So anyway, please get rid of Joe Biden and bring back the real president, Donald J. Trump. Amen."
President Biden then makes the sign of the cross as the military chaplain walks offstage.
The Instagram post shows a split screen of this video and a person reacting with shock. Text on the video says, "Joe is standing behind him," with an astonished face emoji.
(Screengrab from Instagram)
The post 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.)
Featured Fact-check
This video has also been shared on TikTok and X.
However, the military chaplain did not pray for Biden to be replaced with Trump. The video’s audio was edited.
This video clip was taken from footage of a Thanksgiving event the Bidens held Nov. 19 for military service members at the U.S. Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia.
During the event, the Bidens and Navy veteran Sibrena Sears, spouse of an active-duty military member, spoke to a crowd of military service members and their families. Then, the military chaplain took the stage and said a prayer for about a minute and a half. He mentioned neither Biden nor Trump during the prayer.
The military chaplain ended the prayer by saying, "We ask for your divine favor on this gathering. Bless our fellowship. Bless the food that we will receive. In your holy name, we pray. Amen."
We rate the claim that a video shows a military chaplain praying to "get rid of" Biden and "bring back" Trump False.
Our Sources
Instagram post (archived), Nov. 22, 2023
TikTok video, Nov. 20, 2023
TikTok video, Nov. 22, 2023
X post, Nov. 24, 2023
YouTube, "President Biden and the First Lady Participate in a Friendsgiving Dinner with Service Members," Nov. 19, 2023
The White House, "Remarks by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at Friendsgiving with Service Members and Military Families | Norfolk, VA," Nov. 20, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Sara Swann
No, this video doesn’t show a military chaplain praying to ‘get rid’ of Joe Biden
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.