“Chuck Schumer caught on hot mic” plotting to “blame REPUBLICANS AND MAGA” for reform delays.
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President Joe Biden talks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., left, and others as he arrives Oct. 27, 2022, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Mattydale, N.Y. (AP)
Schumer, Biden discussed election, not blaming Republicans, in hot mic moment
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A video of a discussion between Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Joe Biden caught on a hot mic was altered in social media posts to show a different discussion.
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Biden and Schumer were heard discussing the state of the 2022 midterm elections at an airport. They did not discuss delaying any reforms or blaming Republicans, as social media posts claimed.
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Here’s how PolitiFact chooses which statements to fact-check.
Several social media posts are using a hot mic moment between Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Joe Biden to suggest the men were plotting to delay needed reforms and blame Republicans.
"BREAKING: Chuck Schumer caught on hot mic," read text on a video shared Feb. 29 on Instagram. "I know I can blame REPUBLICANS AND MAGA, I’m a pro."
The video shows Schumer and Biden talking at an airport. Subtitles claim Schumer asked Biden for a delay so he can "show one particular donor I’m delaying reform" before saying he can blame Republicans and Trump supporters. It’s not clear in the video what reform they are supposedly discussing.
It’s also unclear where the subtitled video originated, but we found multiple examples of people sharing it across social media.
This 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.)
(Instagram screenshot)
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The first sign the exchange may not be real is that the Instagram video’s audio is muddy and drowned out by engine noise.
A Wall Street Journal logo is visible in the video’s upper right-hand corner. We found that video in a Google search. It showed that Schumer and Biden were caught speaking on a hot mic at a New York airport in October 2022, but they were discussing the midterm elections. Schumer can clearly be heard telling Biden that Democrats were in danger of losing a seat, but it wasn’t clear which race he meant.
He also discussed the debate in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race, when then-candidate John Fetterman, still recovering from a stroke, squared off against Republican Mehmet Oz.
"It looks like the debate didn’t hurt us too much in Pennsylvania, as of today, so that’s good," Schumer said.
Schumer also said Democrats were "picking up steam" in Nevada and expressed concern about the Georgia U.S. Senate race, saying, "It’s hard to believe that they will go for Herschel Walker," a former pro football star who was running for Senate as a Republican. Walker lost to incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Biden’s words were mostly inaudible, but at no point did Schumer ask for a delay in anything or say he would blame Republicans. News coverage of the hot mic moment also shows the two were discussing midterm elections, not delaying reforms.
The claim is False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Feb. 29, 2024
The Wall Street Journal, Watch: Schumer Says Democrats Are ‘Going Downhill’ in Georgia on Hot Mic, Oct. 28, 2022
New York Post, Schumer caught on hot mic telling Biden Dems are ‘in danger,’ ‘going downhill’ in Georgia Senate race, Oct. 28, 2022
The New York Times, Schumer Caught on Mic Forecasting Democrats’ Midterm Races, Oct. 27, 2022
The Associated Press, On hot mic, Schumer says Dems ‘in danger’ in Georgia, Oct. 27, 2022
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Schumer, Biden discussed election, not blaming Republicans, in hot mic moment
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