Fact Check: Does Biden Use a Body Double for Public Events?
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden gestures to the crowd as he delivers remarks during a drive-in rally for U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock at Pullman Yard on December 15, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
A conspiracy theory circulated online saying President-elect Joe Biden has been using a body double for certain public events.
The theory on a body double was prominent during Biden's 2020 campaign against incumbent President Donald Trump and the transition process.
One of the most noticeable claims focused on Biden's earlobes and said one "Joe Biden" had an attached earlobe while the other's was detached.
"There's something funky going on here," a TikTok video on the body double theory said.
Another Reddit post was titled "Is Joe Biden a clone? Check his earlobes," with some photos from 2008 and 2020 showing Biden with detached and attached lobes, respectively.
In an earlier theory, in October, another Facebook post claimed that his "body double actually did one interview that Biden had with CNBC."
It pointed to a "skintone mismatch" and other alleged anomalies. But Reuters immediately debunked this claim by saying it was only due to a change of lighting and not a body double or deepfake.
From there, the claims spiraled into this: Another person looked almost the same as Biden, except for the earlobes, and traded placed with the real Biden on several occasions.
Do Earlobe Claims Add to A Biden Body Double Theory?
Snopes noted in its fact check that some of the social media posts were flawed since most of them showed only the right side of his face to show attached earlobes and the other side for unattached lobes.
It also said some portraits could affect how earlobes look like, depending on the angle from which it was taken.
Snopes looked at the President-elect photos from his Senate term in 2007 to 2009 and during his time as President Barack Obama's vice president until 2017.
During this period, Biden's right earlobe appeared to be detached. But during and after Biden's 2020 presidential run, the ears did look noticeably different from before.
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As the report pointed out, advocating the body double theory based solely on the earlobes' change ignores the fact that Biden ages just like everybody else.
So just like anybody that age, his appearance also changes.
Biden May Have Had Facial Surgery, Not A Double
Snopes further noted that Biden might have undergone medical procedures that require facial surgery or had a face-lift. A Reddit post also suggested this, and the procedure may have affected how his ears looked like.
"You can't get a face lift without leaving a scar in front of each ear," Dr. Anthony Youn, a Michigan plastic surgeon, told CBS News.
In other cases, this may also result in wrinkly earlobes, as surgeons pull the skin tight then reattach the earlobe or elongated "pixie"-like ones when the skin is pulled too tight.
To date, Biden has not commented if he underwent any cosmetic surgery, but a 2019 article of the New York Magazine also cited the changes in Biden's ear.
With many people expressing concern over the changes in Biden's face, it is most likely rooted from his age than a body double or human cloning that hasn't recorded any instance of success known as of writing.