CBS News was forced to remove a video from social media platform X on Wednesday after arguing it was an example of a "cheap fake" of President Joe Biden apparently wandering off during the G7 Summit in Italy last week.
The White House has accused Republicans of creating cheap fake videos of Biden, taken out of context, to build on the narrative that he has cognitive problems.
JUST IN: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says videos of Biden freezing and appearing confused are "cheap fakes video."
Don't believe your own eyes, folks.
Pierre said right-wingers who are sharing these videos have a "credibility problem."
"I think you all have… pic.twitter.com/F4Au9ReAY8
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 17, 2024
CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes claimed such was the case with the G7 footage of Biden and other world leaders watching a skydiving demonstration.
"Outlets claimed that he was sort of just aimlessly wandering away. The clip amassed millions of views ..., when actually if you widen out, you can see that he was talking to one of the members of the military that was participating in that demonstration," she said.
The problem is the so-called "digitally altered video" CBS aired next to the actual one is exactly the same. In both, you can see that Biden is trying to talk to a paratrooper.
But he did wander off, while the other G7 leaders stuck together. Then Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went to Biden to wrangle him up.
BREAKING: @CBSNews falsely claims that raw footage of Joe Biden at the G7 was "DIGITALLY ALTERED."
Here is a video comparing the "cheap fake" with the raw footage. Please note that they are EXACTLY THE SAME! pic.twitter.com/41AwLVC32Z
— Andrew @ Don’t Walk, RUN! (@DontWalkRUN) June 19, 2024
CBS acknowledged its mistake in the video comparison in a later post on X, saying it had removed the earlier version.
"An earlier post was removed as it included the wrong version of a video. This version has been updated to include the correct clip and label on the edited video," the news outlet said.
CBS News labels the clip a “digitally altered video” but it’s the exact version shared by the White House - https://t.co/7YT3DKUGfI
Just stunning misinformation and gaslighting… https://t.co/3PKHqIWZv7
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) June 19, 2024
In the new video CBS shared, the paratrooper is blurred out. Further, rather than labeling it "digitally altered," CBS called it an"edited clip." But who did that editing? CBS?
An earlier post was removed as it included the wrong version of a video. This version has been updated to include the correct clip and label on the edited video.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 19, 2024
Another example of what the White House called a cheap-fake video was when Biden appeared to freeze on stage at a Los Angeles fundraiser on Saturday. Former President Barack Obama then stepped in and led him off the stage.
Joe Biden appears to freeze at his LA fundraiser. Has to be led off stage by Obama. pic.twitter.com/iUKALvdqPD
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 16, 2024
Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier observed Tuesday, "There was nothing fake about former President Obama reaching over to President Biden's wrist and kind of tugging him to go."
The same was true when Meloni pulled Biden back to where the other world leaders were, Baier further noted.
Biden seems to be having more of these freezing moments of late.
CBS and the White House can try to spin it any way they want, but Americans can watch the raw video footage and see there's a problem.
