A picture of President Joe Biden and his wife Jill trimming the White House Christmas tree went viral with conservative accounts accusing the White House of pushing out fake propaganda using old photos.
What they didn’t seem to realize was that it is in fact old and wasn’t put out recently.
The picture was first posted by the White House X account on Christmas Eve last year and shows Joe Biden standing on a step ladder with a metal bowl as if he’s putting the finishing touches on an already decorated tree.
“This is photoshopped or old,” claimed conservative pundit Brigitte Gabriel in a post on Monday.
“That’s not Joe Biden in 2023, that’s for sure.”
Seeing Biden standing on a ladder had some conservative accounts doubting it was actually him, with many riffing on the idea based on a few public tumbles he’s taken that he couldn’t even stay standing on solid ground, let alone a ladder.
“I seriously doubt that he could stand on a ladder considering his physical state,” one said.
“He’s too old doesnt matter if he can step on a ladder or not,” wrote another.
Others questioned the timing of the post.
“It was 3 years ago and he has declined a lot,” wrote Deb Jordan, the co-host of the Pete Santilli show, a right-wing talk radio host.
That comment quickly drew jokes and mockery, given that three years ago, in December 2020, Donald Trump was still president.
“Geez, I didn’t know he was in the White House at Christmas time three years ago. Here I thought he took office in 2021,” wrote one user sarcastically.
One commenter suggested the picture of the Bidens was photoshopped, citing an alleged halo around Jill Biden, while another said the Secret Service must have helped Biden up the ladder before quickly jumping out of frame before the photo was taken. And still others said he must have used a stunt double.
But other posters defended Biden’s health.
“It already been confirmed this is real from last year. He rides a bike pretty well. Haven’t seen trump do that,” wrote @NewsNow85669628.
