<body><div><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://uw-media.usatoday.com/embed/video/4736461001?placement=newsbreak" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div><h2 class="presto-h2"> The claim: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris road Air Force One together, violating a rule </h2><p> In a recent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222849602801862&amp;set=a.1560653729513&amp;type=3&amp;theater" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Facebook post </a> , an image shows both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris exiting&nbsp;Air Force One. </p><p> "The rule is the Prez, and the Veep never travel together, for obvious reasons," said the March 20, 2021, post. "Then why the hell is this happening? More importantly, why is no one saying anything about it??" </p><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> The post has over 3,100 shares on Facebook. USA TODAY reached out to the user for a comment. </p><p><strong> Fact or fiction?: </strong><a href="https://profile.usatoday.com/newsletters/checking-the-facts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> We're fact checking the news and sending it to your inbox. Sign up to get that here. </a></p><p> It's an interesting claim regarding&nbsp;the new administration, given the longstanding practice of keeping the country's top two officials separated during travel for security reasons. </p><p> Let's take a look at what's going on in this picture and the rules in play. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4BPhsV_0ZMDJoQS00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4BPhsV_0ZMDJoQS00" width="6000" height="4000" ><figcaption>President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris step off Air Force One, Friday, March 19, 2021, at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga. (Eric Baradat/AFP) Patrick Semansky, AP </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><h2 class="presto-h2"> What's happening in the photo </h2><p> The photo — taken by Eric Baradat of the AFP news agency&nbsp;— shows Biden and Harris&nbsp;leaving Air Force One, but it's not because they flew together. </p><p> Harris flew separately and boarded&nbsp;Air Force One once the plane had already landed in Georgia, according to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-biden-harris-flight/fact-check-biden-and-harris-did-not-fly-together-to-atlanta-georgia-on-march-19-2021-idUSL1N2LL27K?fbclid=IwAR31bPkyw5H9ytbmHlDQubGysI_jHC4XAOFN78W5Q8v5H70B7h3qHIHTKoM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Reuters reporter and photographer </a> who were&nbsp;on site. A Reuters fact check of this claim said&nbsp;Harris flew on Air Force Two and went to&nbsp;Biden's plane for a while&nbsp;before they headed to their afternoon meetings. </p><p> (Like Air Force One, that label doesn't refer to a specific plane, it's simply the call sign used for any plane that has the&nbsp;vice president aboard.) </p><p> Confusion over the nature of the photo was exacerbated by the photo's original caption, as distributed by <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-joe-biden-and-us-vice-president-kamala-harris-news-photo/1231809284" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Getty Images </a> . It simply described it as the moment Biden and Harris "arrive at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia." </p><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p><strong> Fact check: </strong><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/04/13/fact-check-joe-bidens-approval-rating-isnt-lowest-history/7206601002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> False claim that President Joe Biden's approval rating lowest in American history </a></p><p> Biden and Harris were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjNGrJWkyOU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> meeting with&nbsp;Asian American community leaders in Atlanta </a> following&nbsp;the March 16&nbsp;spa shootings there that left eight people&nbsp;dead, including six women of Asian descent, and&nbsp;one other person wounded. </p><p> According to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/us/biden-harris-atlanta.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> New York Times article </a> ,&nbsp;the president and vice president met with "Atlanta’s mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, state lawmakers and the heads of several Asian-American social justice groups and nonprofit organizations." </p><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"> Today <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> @POTUS </a> and I met with Asian American leaders in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss the rise in attacks against the community. We want Asian Americans in Georgia and across our nation to know: We won't be silent. We won't standby. We will always speak out against violence. </p> — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1373020201709662214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow"> March 19, 2021 </a></blockquote><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/03/20/fact-check-facebook-post-atlanta-shooting-suspect-fake/4748122001/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><strong> Fact check </strong> : Facebook post claiming to be from Atlanta spa shooting suspect is fake </a></p><h2 class="presto-h2"> Rules or practices? </h2><p> Officials say there's no formal rule about the president and vice president riding together on Air Force One, but there's a longstanding practice of avoiding that for security reasons. </p><p> A White House official told USA TODAY the president and vice president do not fly together on Air Force One, on any occasion. </p><p> "It’s not necessarily a rule but a matter of practice," the official said. <strong></strong></p><p> Other research supports that description. </p><p> The official <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/the-grounds/air-force-one/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> White House page </a> says this about the commander-in-chief's&nbsp;plane:&nbsp;"Air Force One also has quarters for those who accompany the President, including senior advisors, Secret Service officers, traveling press, and other guests."&nbsp;In addition, "the President and his or her travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels." The term "vice president" is not used in the description. </p><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> That's because the vice president, her family and staff travel aboard <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/16/6-fun-facts-air-force-two/762010001/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Air Force Two </a> . </p><p> They travel separately due to the risk of terrorist attacks or other natural accidents, said&nbsp;John Fortier,&nbsp;executive director of the Continuity of Government Commission&nbsp;at the American Enterprise Institute, who has done research on the U.S. presidency. </p><p> After a 2010 airplane crash that killed the president of Poland and other several&nbsp;high-ranking government officials, Fortier talked to <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125866582&amp;t=1616434103626" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> National Public Radio </a> about how the U.S. generally separates the president and vice president during travel&nbsp;to avert a&nbsp;leadership void in the event of a similar incident. </p><p><strong> Fact check: </strong><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/04/13/fact-check-photo-miscaptioned-joe-biden-apology-floyd-family/7191274002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Viral image does not show President Joe Biden apologizing to George Floyd's child </a></p><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><p> "There's a very strong prohibition about the president and vice president flying together," Fortier said. "I wouldn't say that's absolutely universal." </p><h2 class="presto-h2"> Our rating: False </h2><p> The claim that an image depicts Biden and Harris flying&nbsp;together aboard Air Force One on March 19 is FALSE, based on our research.&nbsp;Harris flew separately on Air Force Two and then boarded the aircraft with Biden before their meeting that afternoon with community leaders and state lawmakers in Atlanta. </p><h2 class="presto-h2"> Our fact-check sources: </h2><ul><li> Getty Images, March 19, <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-joe-biden-and-us-vice-president-kamala-harris-news-photo/1231809284" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> photo of President Biden and Vice President Harris </a></li><li> Reuters, March 23, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-biden-harris-flight/fact-check-biden-and-harris-did-not-fly-together-to-atlanta-georgia-on-march-19-2021-idUSL1N2LL27K?fbclid=IwAR31bPkyw5H9ytbmHlDQubGysI_jHC4XAOFN78W5Q8v5H70B7h3qHIHTKoM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Fact Check-Biden and Harris did not fly together to Atlanta, Georgia on March 19, 2021 </a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjNGrJWkyOU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> PBS Newshour on YouTube video </a> , <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjNGrJWkyOU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> March 19,&nbsp;News Wrap: Biden, Harris meet with Asian American leaders in Atlanta following attacks </a></li><li> President Joe Biden, March 19, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1372990573175537665" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> tweet </a></li><li> Indianapolis Star, Oct. 16, 2017, <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/16/6-fun-facts-air-force-two/762010001/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 6 fun facts about Air Force Two </a></li><li> New York Times, March 19, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/us/biden-harris-atlanta.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Joe Biden and Kamala Harris met with Asian-American leaders in Atlanta. </a></li><li> Vice President Kamala Harris, March 19, <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1373020201709662214" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> tweet </a></li><li> New York Times, March 19, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/18/us/atlanta-shootings-massage-spa?auth=login-email&amp;login=email#biden-harris-atlanta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Atlanta Shootings Live Updates: Suspect Had Visited Targeted Spas Before, Police Say </a></li><li> NPR, April 12, 2010, <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125866582&amp;t=1616434103626" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Could Poland Tragedy Happen Here? </a></li><li> The White House, accessed April 20,// <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/the-grounds/air-force-one/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Air Force One </a></li></ul><p><em> Thank you for supporting our journalism. You <a href="https://cm.usatoday.com/specialoffer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. </a></em></p><p><em> Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. </em></p><p><em> This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/04/20/fact-check-biden-and-harris-did-not-fly-together/6965560002/" rel="nofollow"> Fact check: President Biden and Kamala Harris did not fly aboard Air Force One together </a></em></p></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

An image showing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris disembarking Air Force One together does not tell the whole story.