On July 8, 2024, a photograph went viral on X (archived), allegedly showing U.S. President Joe Biden pointing a gun at his wife, first lady Jill Biden. As of this writing, it had reached 4.7 million views. "He's sick of people telling him to step down," one X user commented. "Is this real?" several other users asked.
(X user @jeremysmiles)
Because the image was digitally altered to show Biden holding a gun instead of the dandelion he was holding in the original photograph, we have rated this claim as "Fake."
The original photograph was captured by Nicholas Kamm and published by the Agence France-Presse news agency on April 29, 2021.
(Instagram profile @afpphoto)
We found similar photographs of the dandelion moment via Getty Images. "U.S. President Joe Biden picks a dandelion for first lady Jill Biden as they walk to Marine One on the Ellipse near the White House on April 29, 2021 in Washington, DC," read the caption underneath the photograph below:
(Getty Images)
Here you can see another photograph available via Getty Images, featuring the bodyguard in the background, similarly to the viral image.
(Getty Images)
In March 2024, we investigated a similar photograph, allegedly showing Biden holding a gun in a woman's mouth.