Videos of Joe B iden touching children inappropriately
Executive summary
There are no verified videos showing President Joe Biden touching children in a sexual or otherwise inappropriate way; multiple high-profile fact-checks and news organizations have found viral images and clips either altered or taken out of context (AP, PolitiFact, AFP) [1] [2] [3]. At the same time, several adult women have publicly said Biden made them uncomfortable with unwanted touching, and those allegations have produced a complicated mix of reportage, political exploitation and online misinformation that must be kept distinct from the debunked child-focused claims (Business Insider, Harvard Law School) [4] [5].
1. The specific child-focused videos and photos were repeatedly debunked by mainstream fact-checkers
Multiple independent fact-checking outlets tracked and dismantled viral posts that purported to show Biden inappropriately touching children: the Associated Press and C-SPAN footage showed the original October 15, 2021 photo was digitally manipulated to reposition Biden’s hands, and the video of the encounter shows he was pointing at a child’s T‑shirt and later giving a hug—conclusions repeated by PolitiFact and AFP [1] [2] [3].
2. The broader social-media narrative is fueled by edited media and partisan amplification
The manipulated photos and splice videos have been amplified across social platforms and by partisan actors, sometimes labeled as satire or meme by their posters, but deployed in political contexts to suggest criminal behavior; AFP and PolitiFact documented both the digital alterations and the role of political rhetoric in spreading the claims [3] [6].
3. Fact-checkers and news outlets confirm no credible accusations exist of Biden sexually abusing children
Fact-checking organizations have emphasized that while Biden has been accused by some adults of unwanted touching and by one former staffer of sexual assault, there have been no credible, substantiated accusations that he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with minors—PolitiFact explicitly states there have never been credible accusations of Biden engaging in inappropriate conduct with children [6].
4. Allegations about Biden’s general physicality toward adults are separate and documented
Reporting compiled by Business Insider and coverage of women’s accounts, as well as legal and academic commentary, document a pattern—at least in public perception—of Biden standing or touching in ways some women found invasive, and one allegation of sexual assault from Tara Reade that Biden has denied; journalists and scholars (e.g., Harvard Law School) have argued these adult-focused claims deserve fair examination while noting differences in severity and verifiability [4] [7] [5].
5. Public moments, jokes, and context matter: footage often shows benign interactions or poor judgment, not criminality
Video and reporting show Biden in numerous public interactions with children—sometimes close and affectionate—which have been used by critics as fodder; he has publicly apologized for making people uncomfortable and has even joked about the accusations he faced, a mix of contrition and deflection documented in contemporary coverage [8] [9].
6. What the reporting does not—and cannot—do: prove a universal negative
The available, sourced reporting definitively shows the most-circulated child-focused images and videos were manipulated or miscontextualized and that no credible child sexual-abuse allegation against Biden has been substantiated in public records or reliable journalism; however, the sources do not—and cannot—prove every possible recording never exists, and this analysis is limited to the documented, examined materials covered by the cited outlets [1] [2] [3] [6].
7. Why this distinction matters for public discourse
Conflating documented adult complaints about unwelcome touching with fabricated or altered imagery alleging child abuse distorts public understanding and weaponizes both survivors’ stories and misinformation; credible fact-checks and mainstream reporting repeatedly separate verified adult allegations from debunked child-centered claims, a distinction that should guide both civic judgment and media consumption [4] [5] [6].