President Joe Biden's health and fitness continue to be questioned following his widely criticized debate performance against presumptive Republican rival and former President Donald Trump.
Biden has faced calls to stand down from the presidential race, including from some Democrats, after what was broadly referred to as a disastrous performance by critics and pundits.
Amid speculation regarding his cognitive ability, a clip viewed more than a million times since Tuesday spread on social media which appeared to show White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre walking out when asked whether Biden had been given a "neurological scan" since the debate.
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by user il Donaldo Trumpo, posted on July 2, 2024, viewed 1.2 million times, included a video of a White House press conference during which a reporter asked Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: "After the debate, did the president get examined by a doctor or get a neurological scan?" In the clip, Jean-Pierre responded: "Guys, I'll see you tomorrow. Alright thanks, everybody."
User il Donaldo Trumpo wrote: "LOVING TODAY'S QUESTIONS!!!🤣🤣🤣"
The Facts
The White House has fielded many questions about Joe Biden's mental acuity, although not directly addressing much of the substance of them, with the Biden administration taking requests to release more of the president's health records.
While Jean-Pierre was asked at a press conference on Tuesday whether Joe Biden had been given a neurological scan following the debate, she did not then leave the stage as the clip posted on X may suggest.
In the full press conference video, which can be viewed on C-SPAN, Jean-Pierre replied: "A neurological scan?
"Look, what I can say is that—just to take a step back. It was a bad night. We understand it was a bad night. And the president has spoken to this. And he understands that. And so I cannot speak to anything beyond what I just shared.
"The president has regular annual physicals that we release in a thorough report. We will continue to do that. I don't have anything else beyond that."
The user who posted the truncated clip of Jean-Pierre, il Donaldo Trumpo, states in its bio on X that it posts some "parody" content, although much of what it publishes is pro-Trump media.
Since the debate, Biden has apologized for his performance and has tried to explain that it "wasn't very smart" to travel in the weeks leading up to it, adding that "I almost fell asleep on stage."
"I decided to travel around the world a couple of times ... shortly before the debate ... I didn't listen to my staff ... and then I almost fell asleep on stage," Biden said, according to a pool report from Andrew Feinberg, White House correspondent for The Independent.
The Ruling
Misleading material.
Karine Jean-Pierre did not walk out on a reporter after being asked whether Joe Biden had been given a "neurological scan" following his debate with Donald Trump. The clip was an edited version of a press conference held on July 2, 2024. Press Secretary Jean-Pierre responded to the question but did not say whether Biden had been given a scan.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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