Social media users are sharing a video claiming that President Biden’s inauguration was staged because his granddaughters suddenly disappeared while taking the oath of office and also because first lady Jill Biden wore two different pairs of shoes during the day. This assertion is false: Biden’s granddaughters were present during the oath and the video gives no clear reason why Jill Biden would change her shoes, a proof that the inauguration was staged.
The video (here), which has been viewed more than 109,000 times since January 25, 2021, shows footage of Biden taking the oath during his inauguration in the Capitol on January 20, 2021.
In one shot, his granddaughters are visible in pink and white dresses behind him and the voice speaking over the video says: Was the inauguration pre-recorded? Meaning, was it not alive? [….] I want you to look at the girl in pink, Natalie Biden. To her right, the girl in white, this is Naomi Biden, these two are his granddaughters. They are clear, bright as day, behind Jill Biden and Ashley Biden. ”
In the next recording, the camera angle changes and the granddaughters are not visible behind the Bidens and the voice says, ‘Where did they go? […] Where did those two girls go? They were clearly between Jill and Ashley and they are no longer there. […]Witchcraft […]They are nowhere, they are no longer there. ”
The video then shows a clip of Jill Biden wearing nude shoes as she arrives at the Capitol for the inauguration and in the parade after the inauguration, but appears in blue shoes during the inauguration ceremony. The voice talking about the videos says, ‘Her shoes are blue! My God. What is happening?”
The caption on the post says: “We’re watching a movie with ‘bad actors’ in a messy way (sic).”
GRANDDaughters
The order of the footage and the watermarks on the video of the oath of office show that it is genuine, as it was taken from the White House’s official YouTube channel, as seen here.
Biden’s granddaughters stood behind him throughout the oath of office, as evidenced by PBS News Hour’s video footage. The granddaughters can also be seen behind Biden as he takes the oath on these photos by Reuters here and Associated Press (AP) here and here.
The reason the granddaughters are no longer visible in some of the shots is the change in camera angle. These photos from Getty Images show here and here that the granddaughters are visible in the recording of the field from the flag as the camera is displayed on the side of Joe Biden. But as the camera looks more directly at Joe and Jill Biden, other contestants are visible in the background, including the speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, who stands out in a light blue coat.
The contestants on the right of the granddaughters, who would be captured by a more live camera footage of Biden, agree with those in the video on social media. These include Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, minority leader of the U.S. Senate, to her right. In front of Pelosi are Senator Roy Blunt and his wife, Abigail Blunt.
The seating plan that explains the change of people in the background for different TV angles is confirmed in Reuters’ images here, as well as in this guide for participants in the New York Times here.
SHOES
Photos and footage of Jill Biden from the inauguration show how she wears nude pumps and also blue shoes. The First Lady can be seen with naked Jimmy Choo Love pumps (here, here) as she arrives at the Capitol for the inauguration (pictured by Reuters here and PBS News Hour footage here), as well as at the parade after the inauguration, seen in Reuters footage here.
She wore blue shoes, the Jimmy Choo Romy (here) for the inauguration ceremony itself, matching her blue outfit. This can be seen on Reuters photos here, here and C-SPAN recordings here.
The person who posted the video gives no explanation as to why her shoes showed that the inauguration was staged.
News organizations from around the world and the United States discussed live streams of the inauguration, including Reuters (here), AFP (here), AP (here), CNBC (here), NBC (here) and USA Today (here).
Other official events related to the 59th presidential inauguration included pre-recorded recordings, such as the Parade Across America (here) and parts of the Celebrating America Primetime Special (here).
Reuters recently denied another allegation that the inauguration was staged (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. President Joe Biden’s granddaughters did not ‘disappear’ during the inauguration, and although Jill Biden did change shoes, there is no evidence that the inauguration was performed.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.