| USA TODAY
Prayer inauguration: ‘Without unity there is no peace’
President Joe Biden calls on Americans to overcome their divisions and declares in his first speech in office that “there is no unity.” (January 20)
AP
The claim: Meme raises 9 questions about the authenticity of Joe Biden’s presidency
Since President Joe Biden took the oath of office on January 20 in a peaceful transition of power, QAnon followers have been grappling with their failed predictions of a political ‘great awakening’. While some have accepted the new reality, others are looking for evidence to undermine Biden’s presidency and allow QAnon prophecies to prevail.
A viral girl is challenging social media users who recognize Biden as president to ask themselves a series of questions to challenge his presidency.
“Questions to ask someone who thinks Biden is the president,” the meme begins.
More: Fact check: Biden administration delays implementation of Trump rule on insulin, EpiPens
Each of the nine questions the meme asks has a rational answer and it proves that Biden’s presidency is not legal. USA TODAY previously checked factors that Biden won the election illegally and is an illegal president. No one was true.
USA TODAY has reached several Facebook users who posted the mem and have not yet received a response.
“Why was Biden denied a military plane to take him to DC?”
Biden decided to fly to Washington after the inauguration day, rather than take Amtrak as originally planned, due to ongoing threats of right-wing extremism that is considered a security risk.
Throughout his career, Biden’s preference for Amtrak has been a mainstay of his public persona. Biden earned the nickname “Amtrak Joe” by spending a large portion of his 36-year senate career commuting 90 minutes daily by commute between his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and the U.S. capital.
Traditionally, outgoing presidents provide transportation to Washington for the incoming government. CNN reported on Jan. 19 that the Trump administration had not offered Biden’s team transportation to the capital. His arrival by private plane has nothing to do with the legality of his presidency.
“Why was the typical song for the arrival of POTUS not played for Biden during his inauguration?”
This statement is false. A military band plays ‘Hail to the Chief’ when Biden’s family arrives at the White House after the inauguration ceremony.
Not long before, “Hail to the Chief” played for Donald Trump as he entered the stage at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for Mar-a-Lago with his family.
The song is traditionally played every time the president arrives at a formal event. In keeping with tradition, the song is played twice on the Inauguration Day: once for the outgoing president and once for the incoming president.
More: Fact check: Lincoln watched baseball games in front of the White House, but the image in meme is from 1945
‘Why was Biden not given a 21 gun salute as a costume for an incoming president? Do you know, as trump was received the same day, January 20th? ‘
This statement is false. Biden received a greeting of 21 guns when he arrived at Arlington National Cemetery after the inauguration ceremony at the American Capitol.
Trump also received a salute from 21 guns before addressing a crowd and walking into Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews.
Biden and Harris visit the inauguration of Arlington Cemetery
President Biden and Vice President Harris visit Arlington Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of the unknown soldier.
Associated Press, USA TODAY
“Why was Biden’s inauguration broadcast live in Spain ten hours ahead of schedule?”
This is false. In a previous fact-finding that USA TODAY found, there was no evidence to confirm the allegation that a video of Biden’s inauguration was broadcast in Spain hours before it took place.
Conspiracy theorist Charlie Ward claims without proof that he received a recording of the inauguration ten hours early in a January 21 YouTube video. YouTube later removed the video because it violated community standards.
More: Fact check: The national guard will stay in DC through Trump’s indictment
“Why did Biden remove his hand from the false Bible before his oath was taken?”
This is false. C-SPAN footage of the inauguration ceremony shows that Biden did not remove his hand from the Bible before completing the oath of office.
The president took the oath on a massive Bible that had been in his family since 1893. Biden was sworn in twice as vice president and seven times as a senator by the same Bible.
“Why was Biden sworn in after Kamala, which is not constitutional?”
This is false.
According to the Joint Congress Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies, Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in before the President, as is customary. The Constitution does not stipulate the order in which the presidential and vice-presidential oaths must follow, and also makes this assertion untrue.
Vice President Mike Pence was sworn in before Trump during the last inauguration ceremony in 2017, as was Biden with President Barack Obama in 2013 and 2009.
Inauguration day: Kamala Harris takes the oath of office
Kamala Harris made history when she took the oath of office.
Associated Press, USA TODAY
“Why did the military turn their backs on Biden when he dived through them, rather than face and salute, which is an absolute requirement for service members?”
USA TODAY claims that members of the National Guard turned their backs on Biden’s motorhomes after a video of troops went viral on 20 January. We found that guardsmen turned their backs to protect the president from external threats when he arrived at the Capitol. A spokesman for the National Guard confirmed that the action was protocol and not an expression of disapproval, as critics widely understood it.
First Lady brings cookies to the national guard
The president’s wife, Jill Biden, visited guard troops outside the Capitol on Friday, brought them cookies and thanked them for protecting her family. (January 22)
AP
‘Why does not Biden seem to have the military launch codes near him? You know, like the one near Trump in Florida? ‘
This is also false. Biden does have the core launch codes.
Trump’s decision not to attend the inauguration of Biden, the first president to do so in more than 150 years, has broken traditions in many ways and created logistical aberrations. One such dilemma was the delivery of the military ‘football’, which contained the core codes.
When Trump left for Washington on January 20 for Mar-a-Lago, he was still president and so football traveled with him. However, it was deactivated yesterday afternoon when Biden became president.
A military assistant accompanied Trump to Florida, while another military assistant handed Biden a second football, which was then activated when Biden took office at 12 noon, according to NBC News.
More: Fact check: Biden has temporarily banned new oil and gas leasing on public land
“Why is the pentagon blocking access for members of Biden’s administration?”
While some leaders at the Pentagon temporarily withheld information from the Biden transition team, Reuters reported on January 26 that the resistance had stopped.
Susan Gough, spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, told Reuters that the Pentagon was continuing with the transition and that on January 25, they had appointed 32 Biden administration appointments.
Politico reported on January 20 that Trump administrations appointed by the Pentagon had obstructed the transition team’s request for information regarding special operations shipments and distribution of vaccines. Politico described the obstacle as ‘unprecedented in modern presidential transitions’ and predicted that it would ‘hamper the new administration on important national security issues’.
More: Fact check: Nancy Pelosi will not resign if Donald Trump is acquitted in indictment
Our verdict: False
We judge a viral meme, which calls a series of questions that those who accept Joe Biden’s presidency should pose as FALSE because the questions are all based on false allegations, conspiracy theories or outdated information. Biden is legally the president of the United States.
Our sources for fact checking:
- USA TODAY, January 27, “QAnon continues to push conspiracies, election lies and former President Trump on Facebook and Twitter”
- Lori M. See-Smith, January 22, Facebook Post
- USA TODAY, December 15, “Fact Test: Joe Biden Legally Wins Presidential Election, Despite Persistent Conflicting Allegations”
- USA TODAY, January 28, “Fact-checking: no basis for allegations that President Joe Biden’s inauguration was falsified”
- USA TODAY January 14 “Joe Biden, President-elect to Leave the Amtrak Trip to DC for Inauguration Due to Security Concerns”
- CNN, December 7, “‘Amtrak Joe’ may arrive by train for his inauguration”
- CNN, January 20, “Biden prepares for inauguration on Trump’s last full day in office”
- USA TODAY, January 20, “Live Updates: Biden’s Inauguration Day Ends with a Wave and a Massive Fireworks Program”
- Library of Congress, visit on February 1 “Greetings the principal”
- Smithsonian Magazine, January / February 2017, “Why do we play ‘greet the head’ for the president?”
- C-SPAN, January 20, “Motorcade to Arlington Cemetery and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Ceremony”
- YouTube, February 1, video removed
- C-SPAN, January 20, “President Biden 2021 Inauguration Ceremony”
- USA TODAY, January 20, “Joe Biden has been sworn in by a massive Bible with a long family history. Here’s the story behind it.”
- Joint Congress Committee for Inauguration Ceremonies, Visiting February 1 “VICE PRESIDENT’S PERFORMANCE PERAMONY”
- C-SPAN, January 20, 2017, “President Trump 2017 Inauguration Ceremony”
- C-SPAN, January 21, 2013, “2013 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony”
- C-SPAN, January 20, 2009, “President Obama 2009 Inauguration Ceremony”
- USA TODAY, January 25, “Fact check: members of the National Guard did not deviate in contrast to Biden’s inauguration day”
- USA TODAY, January 20, “Donald Trump spends last minute in Mar-a-Lago in office, is the first president to skip the inauguration in more than 150 years”
- NBC News, Jan. 19, “Trump will not hand over nuclear football to Biden. Here’s how the handover will happen.”
- Reuters, January 26, “Fact check: Meme contains a false list of nine questions to argue that Biden is not president”
- POLITICO, January 20, ” Really quite shocking ‘: inside the ugly transition at the Pentagon “
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