A rumor involving U.S. President Joe Biden walking onto an airplane circulated online — primarily on X — following a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia in early August 2024.
The three Americans freed in the exchange were Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Russian-American editor Alsu Kurmasheva. All three arrived by plane in the U.S., landing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just before midnight Aug. 1. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, family members, members of the press and others greeted them on the ground after each of them got off the plane.
Several minutes after Gershkovich, Whelan and Kurmasheva emerged from the plane — and after Biden and Harris fielded questions from reporters — Biden walked up the steps of the aircraft. Around two minutes later, he exited the aircraft and continued speaking with the freed prisoners and their loved ones.
Hours later, on Aug. 2, the X user @amuse posted ( archived ) a video with the headline "Confusion Reigns as Biden Boards Empty Plane." The text of the post read, "Joe Biden climbed back up the stairs of an airplane he wasn't supposed to be on, as Kamala Harris and the Secret Service watched in disbelief. He clearly has no idea where he is or what he's doing." The user later pinned the post to the top of their page. It had receieved more than 2 million views and 35,000 likes, according to the social media platform.
The first two words of the @amuse account's bio reads, "Conservative Headlines." The bio also shows support for former U.S. President Donald Trump's reelection, reading, "Trump/Vance 2024."
Other users on X made similar claims about Biden boarding the plane, including some writing — joking or not — that a confused Biden must have thought he was boarding Air Force One.
However, the truth was Biden boarded the plane to speak to the people who helped bring the three freed prisoners home. We contacted the @amuse account by direct message, asking for evidence Harris and the Secret Service experienced "disbelief," as they claimed. We also inquired if they were aware of the evidence showing the falsity of their post and asked whether they planned on notifying their followers of their mistake with a correction. We will update this story if they respond.
Evidence Showing Biden Did Not Board 'Empty Plane'
Mediaite.com published that The Independent's White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg — who served as White House pool reporter at Joint Base Andrews — confirmed Biden boarded the plane to greet the people still onboard after the freed prisoners had deplaned. Snopes also confirmed these statements in an email with Feinberg:
"If you look at the handout photo of the group that flew back to JBA from Ankara — the one taken on board the plane — it showed ten passengers," Feinberg told Mediaite. "But only three people got off the plane once it landed: Paul, Evan and Alsu."
"I was under the wing with the press pool and it was obvious to me that POTUS was boarding to speak to the people who had helped to bring these three Americans home — the pilots and seven other passengers plus whoever took the photo — because they had remained on board while the three former prisoners enjoyed their first moments back on US soil with their loved ones," Feinberg added.
The official @POTUS account on X had earlier posted the photo referenced by Feinberg:
As another piece of evidence showing the false nature of the Biden "empty plane" rumor, Getty Images hosts a picture ( archived ) captured by photographer Brendan Smialowski that shows Biden walking up the plane's stairs at Joint Base Andrews. The caption clearly states Biden stepped onto the plane "to talk to the pilot who flew the former prisoners."
U.S. President Joe Biden steps onto the plane to talk to the pilot who flew the former prisoners held by Russia to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Aug. 1, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Video Evidence Showing Plane Was Not Empty
The YouTube channel for journalist Roland S. Martin provided the most clear-cut evidence of all to debunk the Biden "empty plane" rumor. Martin's channel broadcast a live feed offered by The Associated Press via its AP Video Hub .
In Martin's video , Biden walks up the plane's steps beginning at the 44-minute mark. At 44:20, Biden appears to shake the hand of a person inside the plane. Then, he turns left to walk into the cockpit. At 45:50, Biden reappears and exits the plane. A person wearing a suit already inside the plane then walks behind Biden from right to left, toward the cockpit. Later in the video, at the 57:10 mark, a crew member wearing a white shirt — likely a pilot — emerges from the plane to communicate with ground crew members wearing reflective orange vests.
Mediaite.com also reported the following statement from Andrew Bates, the White House's senior deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to the president, who said of Biden entering the plane: "President Biden wanted to personally thank the flight crew who brought these brave individuals home to their families." (Bates confirmed to Snopes by email that this quote originated from him.)
In sum, Biden did not board an "empty plane." Video evidence and information from eyewitnesses show Biden walked onto the plane to visit at least one pilot and possibly other people who were still onboard.
@POTUS. "After Enduring Unimaginable Suffering and Uncertainty, the Americans Detained in Russia Are Safe, Free, and Have Begun Their Journeys Back into the Arms of Their Families." X , 1 Aug. 2024, https://x.com/POTUS/status/1819068590680682579 .
"Pres. Biden, VP Harris Greet Americans Freed from Russia Prisons in Massive 24-Person Prisoner Swap." YouTube , Roland S. Martin, 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2-D8A8bZco .
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