President Joe Biden's trip to Northern Ireland has included the type of gaffes that the commander-in-chief has earned a self-recognized reputation for.
Speaking during a visit to County Louth, Biden made an unwitting reference to "Black and Tans"; the White House subsequently clarified that the president intended to refer to New Zealand's "All-Blacks" national rugby team.
Some observers claimed Biden flubbed etiquette from the get-go by overlooking U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who, among others, had been waiting for the president on the runway as he landed at Belfast International Airport on Tuesday evening.
The Claim
A tweet by Kim Dotcom, posted on April 12, 2023, viewed 2.6 million times, stated: "Joe Biden doesn't recognize the little brown guy (Prime Minister of UK) and pushes him away to salute the old white guy. The look on the face of@RishiSunak is priceless 🤣"
The tweet included a video of Biden appearing to move past Sunak to salute the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim, David McCorkell, King Charles III's representative in the region.
Another tweet by user @Spriter99880, posted on April 12, 2023, viewed 2.4 million times, also included a copy of the video with the tweet: "Arriving in Belfast, the Biden did not recognize the Prime Minister of Great Britain and pushed the "boy" away to salute the gray-haired military man."
The Facts
Biden's capacity for flubs of protocol and error-prone public appearances has been well-documented, from mistaking Canada for China to fist-bumping Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
However, based on the video evidence that's available, it appears that the president did not fail to recognize Sunak upon arrival in Belfast.
Firstly, there is little likelihood that Biden did not recognize Sunak as he touched ground in Northern Ireland, with the two leaders having seen each other less than a month ago.
Sunak, Biden, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met in San Diego on March 13, 2023, to mark the AUKUS deal, a partnership under which the U.K. and U.S. would provide Australia with nuclear maritime technology capable of covert, long-range missions.
Under the tripartite deal, the nations share classified military capabilities, cyber and artificial intelligence, and other undersea capabilities.
Sunak and Biden first met in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022 as part of the G20 summit.
The pair held a filmed bilateral meeting on November 16, 2022, during which Biden congratulated Sunak for becoming prime minister, adding that their meeting was an "opportunity for us to reaffirm the incredible and close relationship between Great Britain and the United States."
Given both the recency and number of encounters, it is therefore unlikely that Biden did not recognize Sunak in Belfast.
The video shared on Twitter arguably still appears to show Biden sidling past Sunak to salute the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim. Cross-referencing video footage of the president's arrival, however, shows that Biden did not ignore Sunak.
The clip posted on Twitter makes it appear as if Biden walks past Sunak after landing, while live footage taken from the landing shows something different.
Before Air Force One's doors opened, Sunak and the Lord Lieutenant took position outside the aircraft, with Sunak close to the president's armored car known as "The Beast".
This can be seen at 15:01 in the video below.
As Biden walks down to the runway from Air Force One, the car blocks the view. However, through an obscured view out of the back rear window, you can see Sunak moving forward to greet the president.
It is then several moments later that Sunak moves to the side, giving space for Biden to approach the Lord Lieutenant (the Lieutenant's salute can be seen at 17:09).
Additionally, in the full broadcast footage recorded by Sky News, Biden returns to talk with Sunak after the salute, holding his arm against the prime minister's back as he continues to meet and greet attendants (see video below from 26:56).
Combined, this shows Biden did not snub the prime minister, nor is there evidence that he failed to recognize him, as the tweets claimed.
Biden's arrival in Northern Ireland was met with a relatively muted reaction, with only small crowds appearing before his meetings with the U.K prime minister and his talk at Ulster University's Belfast campus on Wednesday.
The limited crowds may have been due to the notable presence of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) with key streets cordoned off.
The precautions taken by the PSNI are due in part to the fact that the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was raised to "severe" on March 28.
Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment.
The Ruling
Misleading Material.
It's unlikely that Biden did not recognize Sunak, having met him on a number of occasions, including less than a month before the Irish visit.
Furthermore, cross-referencing video footage shows Sunak greeted Biden and spoke to him for a few moments before the president moved to salute the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim.
Other video footage, showing Sunak and Biden continue their conversation confirms he wasn't snubbed as the president left Air Force One.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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