Has Joe Biden been recorded sniffing or touching children in public events, and when?
Executive summary
Public video and photos show Joe Biden physically interacting with children at events—handshakes, hugs, pointing at shirts and a forehead touch captured in campaign-era images—but multiple widely circulated images and clips that purported to show sexualized or predatory behavior were altered or taken out of context, and major fact‑checks conclude there are no credible accusations of Biden engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with children [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. What has been recorded: ordinary public interactions captured on camera
Over the years press photographers and campaign video have captured Biden kneeling, hugging, pointing at a child’s shirt, touching a child’s arm, and leaning in toward children at events—images that are real and part of normal public greetings—examples of which were reported during Biden’s time as vice president and on the campaign trail [1] [5] [4].
2. Viral claims that escalate ordinary images into lurid accusations
Several viral posts have manipulated or cropped photos and edited videos to make routine gestures look sexual or predatory; fact‑checking outlets and news services documented instances in which a 2021 Associated Press photo was digitally altered to imply inappropriate contact and a separate 2019/2020 collage was used to suggest pedophilia without supporting evidence [2] [4] [6] [3].
3. What fact‑checkers and mainstream outlets conclude
PolitiFact and other fact‑checkers state there have been no credible allegations that Biden sexually abused or behaved inappropriately with children, and specific viral images have been rated false or “Pants on Fire” after reverse‑image and video verification showed manipulation or missing context [3] [2] [4].
4. Allegations about Biden’s touchiness with adults — not children — and the broader controversy
Independent reporting compiled accounts from several women who said Biden made them uncomfortable through close or lingering touches, forehead kisses or smelling hair; those allegations involve adults and span years of campaign‑era scrutiny, and one high‑profile allegation of sexual assault relates to an incident a former staffer says occurred in 1993 (Tara Reade), which Biden denies; these adult allegations have fueled political debate about his behavior and prompted Biden to say he would be more mindful of personal space [5] [7] [8] [9].
5. Timing and examples: when the most‑shared images and responses occurred
Two frequently cited examples are a forehead/forehead photo from a campaign event (circulated widely in 2012 and reexamined in 2019 coverage) and an October 15, 2021 photo at the Capitol Child Development Center that was later shown to have been digitally altered in online posts; the edited 2021 image surfaced in 2023 fact‑checks and was debunked by AP and others [1] [4] [2].
6. Motives, misinformation dynamics, and competing narratives
Political actors and online communities have incentives to amplify emotionally charged imagery; platforms and oversight bodies have found both deliberate edits and deceptive cropping that strip context, and social media has circulated content accusing Biden of pedophilia despite the absence of credible child‑abuse allegations, showing how political agendas and poor provenance can turn benign footage into actionable misinformation [10] [3] [2].
7. Caveats and limits of the available reporting
The sources reviewed thoroughly document manipulations and adult complaints and explicitly say there are no credible sexual‑abuse accusations involving children, but reporting cannot prove a universal absence of unreported incidents; the correct, evidence‑based conclusion from fact‑checks and major news reports is that while Biden has been filmed interacting with children in public, the most sensational claims about sniffing or sexual contact with minors have been debunked or lack credible evidence [3] [2] [4] [5].