There are no photos of “Biden in the Oval Office” from after early 2021.
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
President Joe Biden, accompanied by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, center right, speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Washington. (AP)
Plenty of photos of Biden in the Oval Office since early 2021, despite social media claims
If Your Time is short
- There are many photos from multiple news organizations of President Joe Biden in the Oval Office over the course of his administration.
Since President Joe Biden was inaugurated in January 2021, false claims that his presidency is staged have proliferated online. We’ve debunked social media posts that a White House event was filmed at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, and that his administration created a fake set for him to get a booster shot.
Neither was true. Nor is a recent Instagram post that suggests Biden hasn’t been photographed in the Oval Office since early 2021.
"Go search images of ‘Biden in the Oval Office,’" the Oct. 23 post says. "Every damn one of them is from early 2021."
The Instagram post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
We’re not sure where the person who made this claim searched for these images, but when we Googled "Biden in the Oval Office," plenty came up.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Many but not all of the top image results were from January 2021. But there were many images taken since then, too. Here’s a sample of what we found:
A Getty Images photo of Biden meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office on Sept. 16.
A photo taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills on Sept. 15 of Biden meeting there with negotiators from railway companies and unions.
Featured Fact-check
A Getty Images photo of Biden meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in the Oval Office on July12.
Hundreds of Associated Press images of Biden in the Oval Office, or arriving or departing from the Oval Office, in the past year.
And, in an Oct. 16 White House Instagram post, Biden and his dog, Commander, in the Oval Office.
We rate claims that there are no images showing Biden in the Oval Office since early 2021 Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Instagram post, Oct. 23, 2022
White House Instagram post, Oct. 16, 2022
Reuters, Inside Joe Biden's redecorated Oval Office, Jan. 22, 2021
The New Yorker, Did Biden Just Make Everything Normal Again?, Jan. 28, 201
NPR, PHOTOS: President Biden's Redecorated Oval Office, Jan. 21, 2021
ABC News, Biden makes symbolic changes to Oval Office reflecting goals as president, Jan. 23, 2021
The Times of Israel, Biden ends year in office with grand ambitions and humbling defeats, Jan. 18, 2022
Getty Images photo, Sept. 16, 2022
Getty Images photo, Sept. 15, 2022
Getty Images photo, July 12, 2022
Associated Press photos of Biden and the Oval Office, October 2021-October 2022
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
slide 4 to 6 of 15
Plenty of photos of Biden in the Oval Office since early 2021, despite social media claims
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.