- During a speech in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Pres. Joe Biden said his Uncle Ambrose J. Finnegan, who died in World War II, was "shot down in New Guinea, and they never found the body because there used to be... a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea." MSNBC (LR: 1 CP: 5)
- Though Biden claimed "Uncle Bosie," who he said flew single-engine reconnaissance planes during the war, was eaten by cannibals after his plane was shot down, official records suggest the plane had experienced engine failure before crashing into the Pacific Ocean. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- Furthermore, records show that Finnegan was neither flying the plane nor was it shot down. The investigators reportedly didn't find any trace of the wreckage or his body, and there's no evidence to suggest he came across cannibals. The Telegraph
- According to the Pentagon, Finnegan was on an A-20 Havoc plane that departed from Momote Airfield on Los Negros Island en route to Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea. During the flight, "[b]oth engines failed at low altitude, and the aircraft's nose hit the water hard." The Telegraph
- Biden, who visited a local war memorial with his uncle's name on it, attempted to draw a contrast between his trip to honor the deceased at the grave site with Trump's alleged statements calling slain soldiers "suckers" and "losers." Sky News
- Previously, Biden had said he was arrested during civil rights protests, allegedly exaggerated the extent of a kitchen fire at his Delaware home, and shared his encounter with a train conductor who CNN claims was long dead. USA Today (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Republican narrative:
- Some may claim Biden is a liar, for which there's a good bit of evidence, but the reason he made such an outlandish statement this time is his cognitive decline. Even when reading from a teleprompter, Biden often struggles to understand the words written for him. The man in charge of whether or not to go to war shouldn't face these difficulties.
PJ MEDIA (LR: 4 CP: 4)
Democratic narrative:
- Biden is neither a liar nor mentally ill — the president, who is incredibly proud of his family's military history, just misspoke. What's truly remarkable is that those who make such erroneous accusations against Biden are the same ones who defend Trump — who they describe as mentally sharp — when he purposely rags on fallen American heroes.
ASEAN NOW
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 5% chance that Joe Biden will no longer be US president before Jan. 20, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)