Fact check: Biden received his COVID-19 booster shot

The claim: President Joe Biden received a fake COVID-19 booster shot during a staged event

President Joe Biden received his COVID-19 booster shot on live television in late September. But online, some say the entire event was staged.

Biden received his shot Sept. 27, shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed boosters for older and high-risk Americans. In the days that followed, photographs of the event were used to spin a conspiracy theory about Biden’s vaccination status. 

“It’s all Theater: Joe Biden Staged COVID Booster on Mockup Set Complete With Fake Outdoor Background,” reads a Sept. 29 Instagram post that generated more than 2,000 likes within a couple of days. Accompanying the text is an image of the president receiving his booster shot in front of white windows and columns. The post has since apparently been deleted.

Another Instagram post, shared Sept. 30 by the page Blazing Patriots, shows similar photos with the text “FAKE PRESIDENT IN A FAKE WHITE HOUSE RECEIVING FAKE BOOSTER.” Real Raw News, a site that  has made false claims about politicians and high-profile figures, published an article Sept. 30 headlined “Fake Biden Receives Fake Booster on National Television.” 

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Those claims are wrong.

Photos and videos from the event show Biden received his booster shot. The backdrop behind him has been used for other events. 

USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the claim for comment.

Photos, videos show Biden received vaccine

Biden received his third dose of the coronavirus vaccine in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Building, according to his public schedule. The building is next to the West Wing and includes a number of offices for White House staff. 

C-SPAN video footage, along with photos taken at the event, clearly show Biden rolling up his sleeve and a nurse administering a booster shot. 

Several news organizations – including USA TODAY, The Associated Press and Fox News – reported on Biden receiving his booster shot. Close-up photos from pool photographers show the needle being inserted into Biden’s upper arm.

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This isn’t the first time politicians have been falsely accused of staging their COVID-19 vaccination. USA TODAY has rated false a claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., didn’t receive the vaccine.

Auditorium frequently used for media events

Photos in several of the social media posts show an artificial backdrop with windows and trees. The set is real, but it wasn’t created for Biden to receive his booster shot.

One image captured by AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski shows the set in the South Court Auditorium. The photo’s caption reads: “U.S. President Joe Biden rolls his sleeve to receive a third shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as a booster on the White House campus.”

That same set was used Sept. 22 when Biden made remarks at a virtual global COVID-19 summit. Biden has appeared at the South Court Auditorium for bill signings, a briefing on hurricane response and a meeting with governors, among other events. 

USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment and was referred to reports of the event by the White House press corps.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Biden received a fake booster shot in a staged event. Photos and videos from the Sept. 27 event show Biden received his COVID-19 booster shot. Biden was vaccinated at the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in front of a backdrop that has been used for other events. 

Our fact-check sources: 

• Factba.se, Sept. 27, Joe Biden – President’s Public Schedule
• C-SPAN, Sept. 27, President Biden Receives COVID-19 Booster Shot
• Getty Images, Sept. 27, President Biden Receives Covid-19 Booster Shot At The White House
• USA TODAY, Sept. 27, Biden gets vaccine booster shot; Arizona judge finds ban on school mask mandates unconstitutional: COVID-19 updates
• Associated Press, Sept. 27, Biden, McConnell get COVID-19 boosters, encourage vaccines
• Fox News, Sept. 27, Biden receives COVID Pfizer booster at White House
• Getty Images, Sept. 27, President Joe Biden Receives COVID19 Vaccination Booster
• USA TODAY, Dec. 19, 2020, Fact check: Posts falsely claim cap was on Nancy Pelosi’s COVID-19 vaccine
• Getty Images, Sept. 27, US-POLITICS-HEALTH-VIRUS-ECONOMY-BIDEN
• White House, Sept. 22, Remarks by President Biden at Virtual Global COVID-19 Summit
• White House, accessed Oct. 1, “South Court Auditorium”
• White House, accessed Oct. 4, Eisenhower Executive Office Building

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