President Joe Biden recently campaigned in Pennsylvania, making false and misleading claims on various subjects. One of the most questionable claims he made was about his late uncle, Ambrose Finnegan, who he suggested was eaten by cannibals after his plane was shot down while fighting in World War II. However, the Defense Department’s official account of the incident does not align with Biden’s dramatic story.
During his campaign swing in Pennsylvania, Biden also made false claims about his annual earnings, stating that he never made $400,000 when his presidential salary is exactly that amount. He also falsely claimed that seniors would never have to spend more than $2,000 a year on prescription drugs starting in 2024 when the cap actually takes effect in 2025 and is subject to inflation adjustments.
Biden inaccurately stated that China has more retired people than working people, which experts have disputed. He also repeated claims about large corporations not paying any federal income taxes, exaggerating the impact of the minimum 15% tax he signed into law. Biden also mentioned billionaires paying an average of 8.3% in federal taxes, a figure that does not accurately reflect their actual tax rates under current law.
The President boasted about cutting the federal budget deficit by over $1 trillion during his time in office, failing to provide important context that the reduction was primarily due to the ending of emergency pandemic relief spending. Additionally, Biden falsely claimed to have visited Iraq and Afghanistan 36-38 times, when records show he had visited a total of 21 times.
In Scranton, Biden told a dramatic story about his late uncle’s death in World War II, alleging that cannibalism was involved. However, the Defense Department’s official account of the incident does not mention cannibalism or the plane being shot down. Spokespeople for the White House did not affirm Biden’s assertions about cannibals when questioned about the story. Overall, Biden’s campaign remarks in Pennsylvania were filled with false and misleading claims that needed fact-checking and clarification.
