Social media users shared photos of President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, claiming they provided evidence that the office was fake or a movie set. The “evidence” includes an alleged change in wallpaper, allegedly darkened windows and alleging that former President Trump was walking outside the office in the background. Reuters examined each of these photos and found that none of the allegations were true.
One of the posts (here) says: “The Oval Office is Castle Rock ~ Hollywood movie set. You watched a movie. New parking lot in the background, and LOL Trump walks past in both windows. The Oval Office has not ‘ “Parking with cars outside the window. It’s a complete forgery. #CeoJoe draws blank pieces of paper.”
As the so-called evidence contains, the report contains a series of photos, saying it shows that Trump can be seen in the window behind Biden (here, here); the color of the carpet changed from Trump’s oval office (here, here); there is a tank outside the window (here); the background in the windows behind Biden does not match that of Trump’s oval office (here, here); the windows are darkened (here); the wallpaper is not the same as Trump’s oval office (here, here); and the post also includes photos of Oval Office movie sets (here, here).
Captions on other similar posts say: “The executive orders are signed on a film set … I see it in the back that it puts Trump at the window. Lol” (here); ‘It’s all a production man … Bidey ( sic) is not even in the oval office … except the Castle Rock duplicate studio! ‘ (here); and “The Castle Rock Oval Office was used for Disney’s” Nixon “and 20th Century Fox’s” Independence Day “and probably for the big debacle we witnessed recently!” (here)
Some supporters of the widespread QAnon conspiracy, based on the idea that former President Trump secretly includes a cabal of child sex predators that include prominent Democrats, Hollywood elites and ‘deep-state’ allies (here), believe Do not pray president and the military is in power until Trump returns to office on March 4 and exposes the alleged cabal of satanic pedophile cannibal elite. Reuters has downplayed some of these claims here – a U.S. government defense official told Reuters in an email that neither martial law nor the Insurrection Act has been declared.
Film sets of the oval office exist, but there is no compelling evidence. Biden’s recently photographed office is a movie set (here, here).
Biden can be seen entering the White House after his inauguration in this Reuters video here, and the following days in the White House in other Reuters videos here, here, here and here, as well as in official videos of the White House here and here.
PARKING AND TANKS
The post claims that there is a parking lot and a tank in the background of the oval office, seen through the windows, when there is no parking space on the site in the White House.
The oval office is located in the southeast corner of the West Wing of the White House and overlooks the South Lawn and the Rose Garden, as seen in the West Wing Tour Map and the map of the White House Grounds here and here.
As such, the Oval Office does not have an outside parking lot, but a private road around the south lawn that would be visible from the window, as seen in maps of the White House tours (here), the National Parks Service (here) and Google Maps satellite view (bit.ly/3pysRMg). The road can be seen on Reuters and Getty Images here, here and here.
There’s a vehicle visible outside the window behind Biden in the oval office, as seen in these clips from MSNBC (here) and PBS News Hour (here). However, the vehicle does not look like a tank, rather than a truck, and there is no evidence to suggest that the presence of this vehicle is a military takeover.
TRUMP WALKS IN THE BACKGROUND
Reports claim that former President Trump can be seen through the window behind the oval office in a video of Biden signing executive orders.
It looks like the snapshots from this Ruptly video are taken here (timestamp 14:21). In the Ruptly video, as well as the official video of the White House (here), someone can be seen in the window walking past. The quality of the video means Reuters could not identify the person passing by, but it appears they are wearing a lanyard that bounces off their chests as they walk, something unlikely for a outgoing president.
The footage was taken on January 20 on the day of Biden’s inauguration. On that day, outgoing President Trump flew in Marine One to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida (here). He can be seen flying with Air Force One here to Florida and arriving here and here in Palm Beach. Reuters and Associated Press photos of Trump at Palm Beach International Airport can be seen here, here and here. As of Jan. 25, Trump has made no public appearance since flying to Florida here.
BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
The social media reports claim that the background seen through the windows behind Biden is not the same as the background seen behind Trump when he was president.
Just like in the photo of Trump in the social media posts here, a tree branch can be seen in the center window behind Biden and a forest visible in the right window (see Reuters photos here and here). It looks like the photo of Trump was taken at a time of year when there are more leaves on the trees.
Sometimes the gardens of the White House are redesigned: the Rose Garden, on which one of the oval office doors leads, was redesigned in August 2020 (here, here) by former first lady Melania Trump.
DARKENED WINDOWS
The post claims the windows are always darkened in Biden’s oval office, indicating that they are trying to hide what is outside.
However, there is light coming in through the windows behind Biden and the gardens of the White House can be seen from the windows on Reuters photos here and here, as well as in video footage here, here, here and here.
The photos with darker windows behind Biden were probably taken at dark times of the day.
COMMANDMENTS SIGNING OF EMPTY PIECES OF PAPER
The posts claim that Biden signed blank pieces of paper, but the green folders are executive orders, as reported on the White House’s official website here, by Reuters here and by other newspapers here, here, here.
It is clear that the papers are not empty, as the writing on the pages in these CNBC recordings can be seen here and the video from the White House here.
NEW MUCH
The posts claim that the color change of the carpet on the floor of the oval office is a proof that it is not the right oval office.
The oval office is the formal workspace for the president, and most new presidents choose new curtains, furniture, and carpets when they enter, as well as art and artifacts from the White House collection, museums, and collectors (here). Different oval offices can be seen here over time.
Biden made some changes to the decor of the Oval Office, as outlined in news reports here, here and here.
Biden has changed the rug, which is commonly used for incoming presidents, and that does not mean the oval office is fake: while Trump wore a cream robe, Biden wore a Clinton-era dark blue rug with a floral ornament (here , here) adopted.
The carpet in Biden’s new office can be seen here and here. Trump’s cream – colored carpet can be seen here. The two can be seen side by side in this tweet here . The cream-colored carpet during Barack Obama’s reign can be seen here.
NEW COLOR PAPER
Reports claim that the wallpaper in Biden’s Oval Office does not match the wallpaper in Trump’s Oval Office, which means that Biden’s office must be fake.
Although Biden would have been within his rights to change the wallpaper, as outlined above, he did not change the wallpaper: the wallpaper in Biden’s oval office can be seen here and here on Reuters photos and Trump’s corresponding wallpaper here and here . The photo in Trump’s social media posts in the Oval Office with stripped wallpaper was taken before it was refurbished in 2017: the wallpaper before renovations can be seen here and here, and after renovations here and here. Former President Obama has also stripped. background, as seen here.
VERDICT
Untrue. None of the so-called evidence presented in the social media posts proves that Biden’s oval office is false.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.