Fact check: Altered video shows Biden saying, 'Capitalism is exploitation'

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Video shows Biden saying, 'Capitalism is exploitation' during State of the Union

A Feb. 8 Instagram video shows President Joe Biden speaking in the House Chamber to an applauding crowd of politicians.

"My fellow Americans," Biden appears to say in the video. "Capitalism is exploitation."

The post's caption reads: "Wow, I can’t believe Biden started the State of the Union like this."

The post garnered more than 100 likes in a week. Similar versions of the post have been shared on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Our rating: Altered

The video has been digitally altered. The original video was filmed at the 2022 State of the Union address, and the original audio shows Biden saying, "Capitalism without competition is exploitation."

Edited video is from 2022 State of the Union address

The original video was filmed at the 2022 State of the Union address. Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi can be seen standing behind Biden when he said, "Capitalism without competition is exploitation."

Footage of the address was uploaded to YouTube by the White House and outlets such as C-SPAN and PBS.

The transcript was published on the White House's website as well.

Biden said something similar during his 2023 address.

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy listen on Feb. 7, 2023.
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address as Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy listen on Feb. 7, 2023.

"Look, capitalism without competition is not capitalism," said Biden. "It's extortion. It's exploitation."

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The altered video was originally shared on Twitter by a user whose bio reads, "I'm an editor, I make satire."

It's an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where posts shared as satire and presented that way originally are captured and reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment, and they failed to provide evidence to back up their claim.

The claim has been debunked by Reuters, Check Your Fact and Lead Stories as well.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Biden did not say 'capitalism is exploitation'