Biden 'Hello, Minnesota' Video Was Altered

A widely circulated video in which Joe Biden appears to forget what state he's in is clearly a fake, fact-checkers say. The clip being shared on social media supposedly shows Biden greeting a Florida rally with "Hello, Minnesota," but the former vice president really was in Minnesota. Reuters reports that the 16-second clip has been altered, with a sign that read "Text MN to 33030" changed to "Tampa, Florida." Another sign on the podium that read "Text MN to 33030" was changed to "Text FL to 33030." The video was taken at an Oct. 30 Biden rally in St. Paul, Minn. Biden spoke in Tampa a day earlier.

The AP notes that in the altered clip, Biden wore a thick coat suited to Minnesota's climate. He only needed a suit jacket in Tampa. The altered video spread quickly on social media and was viewed at least 1.1 million times on Twitter before the company added a "manipulated media" warning Sunday night. The user who posted the video deleted it after the Twitter warning appeared. CNN reports that the Trump campaign or its supporters have shared a number of misleading videos, including one edited to make it appear as if Biden had endorsed Trump for president. (More Election 2020 stories.)