Belfast

Social media can often be a cruel place and no world leader has received the worst end of it more than US President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, Biden arrived in Northern Ireland for a brief visit to mark the silver jubilee of the Good Friday peace accord. However, soon a video started doing the rounds of internet where it was insinuated that Biden had snubbed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the tarmac. 

Advertisment

Numerous media outlets carried the clip but as it turns out, it was edited. In the poorly edited video, it was seen that the US President brushed aside Sunak to greet and salute an officer. 

"Arriving in Belfast, the Biden did not recognise the Prime Minister of Great Britain and pushed the 'boy' away to salute the gray-haired military man," said one of the Twitter accounts. 

The video was later carried by netizens across different social media platforms with millions of cumulative views racking up in the process. 

Advertisment

However, an AFP report clears that the edited clip was picked from a YouTube video uploaded by Sky News's YouTube channel, with cuts that omit the full greeting. 

WATCH | Joe Biden addresses Irish parliament, says he 'feels at home'

×

Advertisment

Another video published by Sky News on their Twitter account shows the two leaders and their complete exchange. Biden climbs down the stairs and rather politely and calmly shakes Sunak's hands, speaks to him for a few seconds as he would do in a normal situation and later proceeds to acknowledge others on the tarmac. 

"US president Joe Biden and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak shake hands on the runway of Belfast International Airport," read the title of the video uploaded. 

×

“Social media users are claiming a video of US President Joe Biden's arrival in Belfast on April 11, 2023 shows him failing to recognize and shoving aside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. This is false; the claims are based on an edited clip, which cut out seconds of footage that shows the two leaders shaking hands and exchanging words," read a fact-check report by AFP. 

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates in an email to the publication confirmed that "the footage was dishonestly manipulated". 

ALSO READ | White House fixes President Joe Biden’s ‘Black and Tans’ gaffe made at Windsor pub

The US president has been gaffe-prone ever since he gained access to the White House. However, being an octogenarian it is only understandable that he might not be at his peak physical and mental performance every single day in what is an extremely hectic job. 

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: