President Joe Biden fell asleep during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
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No news of a snooze: President Biden didn’t nod off during meeting with Israel’s president
If Your Time is short
- This video shows President Joe Biden looking at a paper in his lap as he speaks, not falling asleep.
President Joe Biden hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog on July 18 at the White House, and Biden didn’t fall asleep during his televised meeting with the world leader.
It’s worth mentioning because some social media users are claiming otherwise.
"WAKE UP, JOE," reads one Instagram post featuring a clip of the meeting in which Biden’s head is bowed as he sits across from Herzog. "What kind of world leader falls asleep while in a meeting?"
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
A longer video of the meeting shows what isn’t clear in the clip: Biden appears to be looking at a piece of paper in his lap.
He stumbles over his words at one point, but he doesn’t fall asleep.
We rate that claim False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, July 18, 2023
C-SPAN, President Biden Meeting with Israeli President Herzog, July 18, 2023
The White House, Remarks by President Biden and President Isaac Herzog of the State of Israel Before Bilateral Meeting, July 19, 2023
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No news of a snooze: President Biden didn’t nod off during meeting with Israel’s president
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