COMICSANDS
percolately
georgetakei
secondnexus
george's picks
Conspiracy theorists had a field day on Wednesday, March 17, when a trick of depth perception made it appear President Joe Biden's hand drifted in front of a microphone as if he were in front of a green screen.
A video of President Biden answering a few questions from reporters has set into motion an explosion of old or exis… https://t.co/EDa8xZQNg3— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan Sardarizadeh)1616006137.0
Far-right conspiracy theorists went absolutely wild over the video, insisting it was proof of all sorts of outlandish ideas.
@ViewtifulSwan @fwra1234 biden's hand breaks depth-of-field by suddenly appearing in front of on the grey microphon… https://t.co/b93pZGXXhJ— Solus (@Solus)1615958015.0
DEEPFAKE: Watch for Biden putting his hand through a Mic at the front. This is like Kim Jong ill. https://t.co/qmfu8ZzlNH— banthebbc (@banthebbc)1615966929.0
Biden’s Hand Magically Floats Through Mic: The Media Is Lying To You - Conservative Daily Post https://t.co/CbNnwqcCkJ— Stanley E Cook (@Stanley E Cook)1616052350.0
Of course, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the strange shot, which many were quick to point out on Twitter.
@mattcrotts Shotgun mics on boom poles. Biden leans over them. Looks funny, but not green screened. His hands ar… https://t.co/f2iRsRtCdI— Jess Purviance (@Jess Purviance)1616080421.0
@mattcrotts Here's the other video. https://t.co/QCQ51t6xIL— Jess Purviance (@Jess Purviance)1616080502.0
Here are a few examples of the vareity of false claims being made about the video, sometimes by well-known, mainstr… https://t.co/x6PZIgVHBZ— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan Sardarizadeh)1616006138.0
As far as conspiracy theories go, this was a pretty easy one to debunk.
That large, grey microphone is actually further to the right of Biden's hands, not in front of them. There are mul… https://t.co/3UUKuFfaG4— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan Sardarizadeh)1616006141.0
I was the one holding the lighter-colored fuzzy microphone and thus literally in front of @POTUS on the South Lawn… https://t.co/84XAiBszVZ— Steve Herman (@Steve Herman)1616006400.0
And here are a few more examples how far and wide this obviously false claim has been spreading since last night 👇 https://t.co/4uAaYzQ79T— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan Sardarizadeh)1616006701.0
But as quickly as some Twitter users tried to throw down logic, others spewed yet more insanity.
Forget the microphone, the top of Biden’s head sure disappears a lot. https://t.co/98JR1X5xiu— Michael Moore (@Michael Moore)1615957124.0
@ABC I noticed that this is green screened or Biden is elemented in. The noise is distorted as well and the top of… https://t.co/olzTnz9dE6— Foxx Primeau (@Foxx Primeau)1615984721.0
This video is still published on the Washington Post. I did a full screen capture to show you that it's a montage.… https://t.co/z82T1MgCkO— Jesús E. Rosas | The Body Language Guy (@Jesús E. Rosas | The Body Language Guy)1615976886.0
Sadly, for those who hoped President Biden was some sort of superhero, it seems he's just as mortal as the rest of us—unable to phase through microphones.