Video of President Joe Biden, 80, apparently pretending to “nibble” at a little girl while in Helsinki, Finland, is circulating on the internet this weekend.
However, the source of the video remains unclear. While Fox News, The New York Post and The Independent all reported on it, none specified where it originally came from.
The Independent shared a Twitter post of the footage from Breaking 911, which in turn shared it from an account called Conservative War Machine. Comedian Chad Prather also shared the video and said in a comment: “This clip was apparently recorded by @ArmaLite15OU812. Great job,” referencing an account that frequently posts anti-Biden memes.
In the clip, Biden appears to be chatting with a man and a woman holding a young girl in a crowd of people. It then shows him leaning in and bringing his mouth to a little girl’s shoulder in a joking manner. She tucked her head low and then turned away from him and he appeared to laugh.
Since it began circulating, the video has drawn commentary from the right, including a joke from Republican operative Greg Price, comments on the footage from conservative operative Caleb Hull and a comment from Donald Trump Jr.
“Biden should be in a nursing home, not leading the free world,” he said.
Just this week, the Associated Press debunked another video that purportedly showed Biden being weird around a baby and sniffing it.
“The loud sniffing sound was added to the original video, which merely shows the president leaning in to speak with a baby being held by its mother at a recent event,” said a fact check report. “The original clip doesn’t include any sniffing sounds.”
However, Biden admitted in the past that he would need to work on updating his approach to personal space, in response to Lucy Flores, a former Nevada state assemblywoman who said Biden touched her and kissed her head during a political rally in 2014, and three others who made similar claims, per NPR.
“Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future,” he said in a 2019 video posted to Twitter. “That’s my responsibility and I will meet it.”
Biden was in Finland as part of trip to Europe that included a visit to Lithuania for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. In Helsinki, he met with Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö.
“I guess you got the best welcomes already on the streets of Helsinki,” said Niinistö of the country’s response to the U.S. president.
“They’re very – very gracious. Very gracious,” said Biden.
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