NY Times calls out fake op-ed saying ‘Biden’s death would help Democrats’
The New York Times on Thursday disavowed a doctored image of an op-ed with the headline: “Joe Biden’s death would be a tragedy. But it might help the Democrats win the midterms.”
A Twitter user with the handle “KnowNothingTV” posted the fake op-ed on Thursday — shortly after it was revealed that President Biden tested positive for COVID-19.
The Times’ public relations arm felt compelled to put out a brief statement on Twitter after the image went viral, generating more than 5,800 likes and nearly 180 retweets.
“This screenshot is a fake image. The New York Times did not write or publish this story,” the Times’ communications team wrote on Twitter.
The Post has reached out to the Twitter account user “KnowNothingTV” seeking comment.
Before contracting COVID, there has been increasing talk that the 79-year-old Biden, the oldest-ever US president, may be too old for the job, particularly after repeated verbal gaffes and slip-ups that raised questions about his sharpness and mental acuity.
COVID puts Biden at elevated risk of serious illness or death, though he has received four shots of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, reducing the risk, and is being treated with antiviral drug Paxlovid, according to the White House.
A raspy-voiced Biden released a video message Thursday afternoon, saying, “Hey folks, I guess you heard. This morning I tested positive for COVID.”
“But I’ve been double-vaccinated and double-boosted, the symptoms are mild and I really appreciate your inquiries and your concerns. But I’m doing well and getting a lot of work done, gonna continue to get it done.”
Biden’s health was widely discussed on Wednesday when he shocked listeners by claiming during a speech in Massachusetts that he has cancer, using the present tense.
The White House hastened to clarify that he was referring to skin cancer from before he took office.
In the same speech, Biden referred to male Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) as “she” and said that the city of Glasgow is in England, before correcting himself to say Scotland.
The Times on Thursday published a series of mea culpas from eight of its opinion columnists about how they were each “wrong” on a variety of topics, ranging from the inflation and Facebook to Trump voters.
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