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Fact check: Photo should show Biden with underage girlfriend (video)

This photo of Joe Biden and his wife Jill is shared by many users in social networks – and is supposed to bring the US President into distress.

Because: The snapshot is supposed to show Biden in his thirties with his underage future wife. Allegedly, Jill Biden was 15 years old at the time and was working as a babysitter for Biden. If they already had a relationship at this point in time, that would mean fornication with minors – which would clearly be punishable by law.

But what is really all about the photo?

The allegations against the incumbent US president are false reports.

In terms of figures alone, the allegations are not tenable:

Joe Biden was born on November 20, 1942 – Jill Biden was born on June 3, 1951. Their age difference is therefore only nine years.

That makes it impossible that Biden knew 15-year-old Jill in his thirties.

When they first met, Joe Biden was actually 32 years old, but Jill Biden was already 23 years old at this point – and therefore of legal age.

The US First Lady writes on Twitter that Biden called her “out of the blue” in 1975.

The photo used in connection with the hoax dates from 1976 and is used by Biden’s team in the election campaign. (Source: inquirer.com)

There is no evidence that Jill Biden was supposed to have worked as a babysitter for the current US president. Like the false age difference, this claim seems fictitious to discredit the couple.

Allegations like these are nothing new to Joe Biden:

In the election campaign for the US presidency, attempts were made again and again to portray Biden as aggressive and pedophile. A tactic that earned him the nickname “Creepy Joe” in certain Republican circles.

But even if false reports spread on social media, they do not change the facts.

How do we examine videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to take a look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each picture and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or cutting errors. At stern, the general rule is: Seriousness over speed. We always double-check facts and material carefully before we publish them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Verification Team” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2 and Radio NRW.

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