White House slams 'cheap fake' clips of Biden

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday criticized Republicans for spreading videos purported to show President Joe Biden's mental and physical decline, saying the images had been deceptively cut and manipulated.

"It tells you everything that we need to know about how desperate Republicans are here," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, branding the clips as "cheap fake" videos.

Outlets have shared several seemingly damning short videos of the 81-year-old president in recent days.

In one video, an apparently disoriented Biden appears to wander away from fellow world leaders while watching a skydiving display during a G7 summit in Italy last week.

But Jean-Pierre said the footage was misleadingly edited and Biden instead was moving to give a thumbs-up to the parachutists.

"This was widely fact-checked ...including by conservative media," she said at a media briefing, adding, "If you run that tape a little bit longer than you'd see ... what was happening."

Earlier in the week NBC also debunked the claim, posting footage caught by its own cameras from another angle online, which showed Biden interacting with the parachutists just a few feet away.

Another widely-shared clip was a close-up shot of Biden standing still as world leaders danced close to him during a concert at the White House, which opponents said showed a state of confusion.

"The president stood there listening to the music, and he didn't dance. Excuse me. I did not know not dancing was (...) a health issue," Jean-Pierre said of the video.

And on the weekend, the New York Post again shared a video appearing to show Biden getting lost on stage during a fundraising event in California, before being pointed to an exit by former president Barack Obama.

Andrew Bates, another White House spokesman, said on X that Biden was instead waiting on the stage to appreciate the applause from his supporters.

Biden's main rival Donald Trump has made Biden's age one of his main campaign rallying points, despite being, at 78, just three years younger. Whoever wins the vote will set a new age record.

Agencies Via Xinhua