Fact Check: False Biden quote about NATO chief's wife shared online
The clip shows Biden behind a lectern with Stoltenberg standing to his right
In remarks made during NATO’s 75 th anniversary summit, U.S. President Joe Biden told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that he had spoken to Stoltenberg’s wife, not that he had had sex with her as suggested in social media posts sharing a wrong transcription of Biden’s remarks.
On July 9 Biden pledged to defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion in his remarks to NATO member states at th e summit.
He closed his speech by surprising Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian award, and made the reference to Stoltenberg’s wife in the 15-second excerpt shared online.
The clip shows Biden behind a lectern with Stoltenberg standing to his right. Posts, opens new tab captioned the video, “How is the media going to spin this?!” and quoted Biden as saying: “I realized I was fvckin’ your wife?”
In fact, Biden said, “…as I was talking to your wife….”
Biden’s remarks can be seen in a White House video, opens new tab of the event. His words, starting at timestamp 29:38, are as transcri bed by the White House, opens new tab : “ ... guided this alliance through one of the most consequential periods in its history. I realize I - as I was talking to your wife - I personally asked you to extend your service. (Laughs.) Forgive me. (Laughter.) And you put your...”
The White House video includes an inset with an American Sign Language interpreter, who also translated the quote as it was originally uttered by Biden, not as it was transcribed in social media posts, according to Jordan Wright, communications director of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf who reviewed the video at Reuters’ request.
“We found the interpreting of President Biden’s remarks at the NATO summit on July 9th that you inquired about to be organic and appropriate,” Wright said in an email.
VERDICT
False. Biden told Stol tenberg he had spoken to Stoltenberg’s wife, not had sex with her.
