Fact check: No evidence Biden wore wire at Ohio debate
The claim: Joe Biden wore a wire during the Ohio presidential debate
After a contentious first presidential debate, voters across the political spectrum are sizing up each candidate’s performance. Some said Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s performance was too good to be true.
“Why was Joe Biden not fumbling his words as much during the presidential debate? Joe Biden was wearing a wire, he was being fed information through an earpiece,” a Facebook post reads. “Joe made the mistake of adjusting his jacket, the wire pops out for a matter of 3 seconds, just long enough to prove it. Notice his wrist when he coughs? That little black nub on his wrist is the microphone at the end of his wire.”
The post speculates as to who was allegedly feeding information to the former vice president, accusing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, two fellow high-profile Democrats. Another post shows a low-resolution video of the encounter.
Neither poster responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
The claim is repeated across social media platforms, along with other suggestions that Biden wore a microphone on his wrist.
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‘Wires’ are wrinkles and rosary beads; campaign denies earpiece
In the video shared on social media, it looks like a dark line appears on Biden’s white shirt out of nowhere. In a more high-resolution version of the video, it’s clear the dark line is a crease. It first shows up at the 1:09:37 mark, after Biden adjusts his jacket. After a few seconds, the wrinkle melds back into the shirt.
What about a microphone on his wrist? It’s much more likely that object is a rosary.
In an interview in 2017 with Megyn Kelly, Biden recounted the brain cancer diagnosis and death of his son Beau. He told Kelly he has worn rosary beads every day since Beau died. The video of that interview shows that Biden wears the rosary on his left wrist, the same place the alleged microphone popped up.
Fact check: Allegations that Joe Biden wore an earpiece at town hall, debate are false
USA TODAY was unable to reach Biden’s campaign or the Commission on Presidential Debates for reaction to the claim on Facebook.
Before the debate, there were unfounded claims that Biden wore an earpiece to a town hall and the suggestion that he’d do the same at the first debate. USA TODAY determined the former vice president did not wear an earpiece and would not at the debate. Biden’s campaign confirmed that to The Washington Post’s Matt Viser.
Our rating: False
We rate the claim that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wore a wire at the debate Tuesday as FALSE because it was not supported by our research. A high-resolution video of the exchange shows the dark line is a crease in Biden’s shirt, and what social media users speculated was a microphone on his wrist was probably a rosary.
Our fact check sources:
MSNBC on YouTube, Sept. 29, Watch: First Presidential Debate Of The 2020 Election | MSNBC
Huffington Post, Nov. 13, 2017, Joe Biden Wears Rosary Beads In Honor Of His Late Son
Today on YouTube, Nov. 13, 2017, Joe Biden On Wearing His Son Beau’s Rosary Beads : It’s My Connection To Him | Megyn Kelly Today
USA TODAY, Sept. 30, 5 takeaways from the slugfest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in Cleveland
PolitiFact, Sept. 30, Biden did not wear a wire during the first presidential debate
Lead Stories, Sept. 30, Fact Check: Biden Was NOT Wearing A Wire During Presidential Debate; It's a Shirt Crease
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Biden wasn't wearing a wire at the Ohio debate
