President Biden robocall in NH is 'fake,' contrary to post's implied claim | Fact check
Andre ByikThe claim: Post implies Biden told voters to skip New Hampshire primary in robocall
A Jan. 22 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows CNN anchor Abby Phillip interviewing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu about the 2024 New Hampshire primary election.
"Biden robocall urges NH voters not to vote tomorrow," reads the CNN chyron shown in the image.
Some social media users reacted negatively to the chyron visible in the post, appearing to believe it was an accurate summation of what transpired in New Hampshire.
"Biden robocall urging people not to vote," wrote one such user. "That again is election interference by the Democratic party."
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The post was liked about 900 times in one day.
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Our rating: Missing context
The implied claim here is wrong. A robocall that used President Joe Biden's voice was artificially generated and is being probed by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, according to investigators and multiple news outlets. The image in the post does not show the full CNN headline, which included the word "fake" before the words "Biden robocall."
Robocall not recorded by Biden, White House spokesperson says
Multiple New Hampshire voters received a recorded phone message in Biden's voice on Jan. 21 that said, "Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday," USA TODAY reported. The message was a reference to the state's primary election on Jan. 23.
But the robocall was "fake" and not recorded by the president, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Jan. 22 press briefing.
The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said in a Jan. 22 press release that the message appeared to be artificially generated. It is investigating the robocall as "an unlawful attempt to disrupt the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and to suppress New Hampshire voters."
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The image of the CNN program in the Instagram post does not show the full text of the chyron, which actually read, "Fake Biden robocall urges NH voters not to vote tomorrow." The cropped image in the post left out the word "fake," which led some social media users to believe the call was from Biden.
A transcript of the Jan. 22 interview between Phillip, the host of CNN NewsNight, and Wu makes clear that their discussion noted the fraudulent nature of the message.
The source of the robocall remained unclear as of Jan. 24.
The Instagram user who shared the image did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Our fact-check sources:
- White House, Jan. 22, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, John Kirby, and Jennifer Klein
- USA TODAY, Jan. 22, Voters got a call from Joe Biden telling them to skip the New Hampshire primary. It was fake.
- New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, Jan. 22, Voter Suppression Robocall Complaint to Election Law Unit
- CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, Jan. 22, Transcript
- The Associated Press, Jan. 22, New Hampshire investigating fake Biden robocall meant to discourage voters ahead of primary
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