Associated Incidents
A deepfake video of President Joe Biden harshly criticizing transgender women is being shared on social media. While the voice on the video may sound like Biden, the words coming out of his mouth are contrary to his past public support of transgender Americans.
"You will never be a real woman," the fake Biden said in a video shared Feb. 5 on Instagram. The president then launches into a torrent of criticism aimed at transgender women, including a reference to suicide.
"I completely agree with my president on this. I stand with Biden," the poster wrote in a caption next to the video.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Two conservative websites wrote about the video and acknowledged it as a deepfake. They linked to a tweet from a pro-Donald Trump account that shared political memes and is now suspended.
We found no evidence of Biden making such remarks in a search of White House transcripts, but we did find plenty of evidence of the president’s efforts to support transgender people.
"My administration remains deeply committed to strengthening the rights of LGBTQI+ Americans, including transgender Americans," Biden said in a statement Nov. 20, 2022, on Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day started in 1999 to remember people killed by anti-transgender violence.
Also in the statement, Biden lists steps his administration has taken to support transgender people.
"Since taking office, we have made it possible for transgender service members to once again serve proudly and openly in our military, improved the travel experience for transgender Americans, and provided resources to support the mental health of transgender kids and their families," he said.
Biden made similarly supportive remarks on Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2021: "Transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But no person should have to be brave just to live in safety and dignity."
Biden has supported transgender people since before he took office. As president-elect on Jan. 19, 2021, he chose Dr. Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2021, becoming the first openly transgender person confirmed to an administration post by that body.
One of Biden’s first moves in office was signing an executive order Jan. 25, 2021, that overturned a Trump administration policy banning transgender people from serving in the military. The Department of Defense updated its policies after a review in March of that year.
On March 31, 2022, on Transgender Day of Visibility, Biden spoke glowingly about transgender Americans, and assured them that they have his support. He made similar remarks on that day in 2021.
"To transgender Americans of all ages, I want you to know that you are so brave," he said in 2022. "You belong. I have your back."
In June 2022, which is Pride Month, Biden signed another executive order aimed at protecting access to gender-affirming health care and responding to what he called an "unrelenting political and legislative attacks at the state level" against LGBTQI+ people.
Deepfake technology is becoming more common and experts fear videos employing these deceptive tactics may become harder to spot.