Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
Fourth of July video featuring Hunter Biden wasn’t taken same day cocaine discovered at White House
If Your Time is short
- This video was taken two days after cocaine was discovered at the White House.
After cocaine was discovered at the White House, some of the Biden administration’s detractors have tried to connect the drug to the president’s son, Hunter Biden.
"‘Hunter Biden’ taking a hit of that perico in front of children at ‘White House’ same day they found cocaine," reads one Instagram post that uses slang for cocaine. "I SWEAR YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS S— UP."
It features a clip of a C-SPAN video showing Hunter Biden walking behind first lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden as Hunter Biden’s hands move around his face.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Speculation about the source of the cocaine found at the White House has abounded, but authorities haven’t blamed Hunter Biden, who described his struggles with drug addiction in his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things."
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
We don’t know what Hunter Biden was doing in the video — he’s obscured by Jill Biden — but there’s no evidence that he was using cocaine during a televised event at the White House. Snopes has rated the claim that the video shows him doing drugs "miscaptioned."
What we do know: This video wasn’t taken the same day cocaine was discovered at the White House.
Featured Fact-check
White powder found inside the White House turned out to be cocaine, the Washington Post reported, but it was discovered on July 2.
The video of the Bidens was taken on July 4 and shows the family at a Fourth of July celebration.
We rate claims the video was taken the same day cocaine was discovered at the White House False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, July 11, 2023
YouTube, U.S Independence Day 2023 | Independence Day Fireworks Over D.C.'s National Mall | Biden Live, July 4, 2023
Axios, Secret Service to brief congressional staff on White House cocaine, July 10, 2023
The Washington Post, Secret Service investigating suspected cocaine found in White House, July 3, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
Fourth of July video featuring Hunter Biden wasn’t taken same day cocaine discovered at White House
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.