Fact check: False claim links births of Biden, other Democratic politicians to alleged UFO landing

April 9, 2021 ufos

The claim: 10 politicians were born nine months after the landing of a UFO in New Mexico in 1947

A social media post shared on Facebook is claiming that the births of 10 Democratic politicians is tied to the alleged crash of a UFO in New Mexico in 1947.

“It seems to make sense so I am asking my friends if they think this could be true?” the post states. “This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered-up by the U.S. Air Force, as well as other Federal Agencies and Organizations.”

Similar claims have been made on different social media platforms since the early 2000s, according to Snopes, which said it has received emails about the topic since 2006.

The Air Force attributed the debris found at the Roswell site in July 1947 to a radar-tracking balloon the military had launched as part of a classified government project, to determine the state of Soviet nuclear weapons research, according to an investigation report by the Government Accountability Office from 1995.

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USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user for comment.

Politicians listed not born in April 1948

The post, which has been on Facebook since as early as 2019, says that these 10 prominent Democrats were born nine months after the crash: President Joe Biden; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; former President Bill Clinton; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; former Vice President Al Gore Jr.; Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer; U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, who also served as secretary of state during the Obama administration; former California Sen. Barbara Boxer; California Sen. Dianne Feinstein; and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

The list also includes former President Barack Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr.

But according to official records, none of them were born in April 1948:

Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 20, 1942, according to White House records.
Bill Clinton was born on Aug. 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, according to White house records.
Hillary Clinton, listed by her maiden name – Rodham – was born on Oct. 26, 1947, in Chicago, according to records kept by the House of Representatives.
Gore was born on March 31, 1948, according to White House records.
Kerry was born on Dec. 11, 1943, in Aurora, Colorado, according to State Department records.
Pelosi was born in Baltimore on March 26, 1940, according to records kept by Congress.
Dean was born on Nov. 17, 1948, in New York, according to a 2002 New York Times profile.
Feinstein was born in San Francisco on June 22, 1933, according to records kept by Congress.
Schumer was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 23, 1950, according to records kept by Congress.
Boxer was born in Brooklyn on Nov. 11, 1940, according to records kept by Congress.
Obama Sr. was born in Kenya in on June 18, 1936, according to Black Past, an organization aiming to provide reliable information about African American history.

Our rating: False

A post claiming that the births of prominent Democratic politicians are tied to an alleged UFO crash in 1947 is FALSE, based on our research. Only two of the listed politicians – Howard Dean and Al Gore – were born in 1948. However, they were not born in April, nine months after the incident as claimed by the post on Facebook.

Our fact-check sources:

Government Accountability Office, July 28, 1995, “Report Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash Near Roswell, New Mexico“
The White House (archived), accessed April 9, Vice President Joe Biden
The White House (archived), accessed April 9, Biography of President Bill Clinton
United States House of Representatives Archives, accessed April 9, Hillary Rodham Clinton
The White House (archived), accessed April 9, Biography of Vice President Al Gore
U.S. Department of State (archived), accessed April 9, Biography of John F. Kerry
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed April 9, Nancy Pelosi
The New York Times, Dec. 18, 2002, “2004: PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS — Howard Dean; The Doctor Is In, and Busy Hanging a Bigger Shingle“
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed April 9, Dianne Feinstein
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed April 9, Charles E. Schumer
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed April 9, Barbara Boxer
Black Past, Sept. 12, 2020, Barack Hussein Obama Sr. (1936-1982)
Snopes, July 8, 2013, Politicians Born After Roswell UFO crash