Joe Biden ignoring Rishi Sunak- know the truth

The clip of Joe Biden greeting and shaking hands with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was removed from the video. Biden did not ignore Sunak

US President Joe Biden visited Northern Ireland recently to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace accord; he was greeted by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Belfast international airport.

A video widely shared on social media seemingly showed Joe Biden not recognising the UK prime minister. The US President seemed to brush Rishi Sunak aside, who was waiting on the tarmac along with others, to greet King’s personal representative for County Antrim, Lord-Lieutenant. The caption shared along with this video state, “Arriving in Belfast, the Biden did not recognize the Prime Minister of Great Britain and pushed the “boy” away to salute the gray-haired military man”. 

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Fact Check-

We began our search by reviewing news of the US President’s visit to Ireland. We came across a video on the Reuters YouTube account that was live aired on April 12, 2023. A closer look at the footage, however, reveals that Biden did meet the UK PM, albeit in an unusual manner for two world leaders. The US President grasped Rishi  Sunak’s hand and patted his arm briefly. It is then several moments later that Sunak moves to the side, giving space for Biden to approach the Lord Lieutenant (the Lieutenant’s salute can be seen at 17:09). 

Furthermore, in a complete broadcast clip captured by Sky News, shows the leaders’ complete exchange, in which Biden shakes Sunak’s hand and speaks to him for a few seconds before acknowledging others on the tarmac. The headline attached to the video reads, “US president Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shake hands.”

Biden returns to speak with Sunak after the salute, holding his arm against the prime minister’s back while continuing to meet and greet attendees. You can see the video below from 26:56. 

The exact moment may also be seen in a video uploaded on Twitter by a British broadcaster, which shows Biden and Sunak speaking on the tarmac after the initial welcomes.

Taking account of all these evidences and cross-referencing video footage we can clearly understand that Rishi Sunak greeted Joe Biden and spoke to him for a few moments before the president moved to salute the Lord Lieutenant of County.

Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak have previously met on a number of occasions including in California in March. They met again in Belfast on April 12, after which Sunak said the relationship between their two nations was “in great shape.”

The claim was also debunked by  AFP and Reuters.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the viral video to be Edited. Full footage of U.S. President Joe Biden arriving in Northern Ireland shows him interacting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.