FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Joe Biden Surrounded By US Marshals?

Elias AtienzaMay 19, 2022

An image shared on Facebook claims to show President Joe Biden surrounded by U.S. Marshals at a recent White House event.

Verdict: False

The men surrounding Biden in the photo are members of the Secret Service, according to their badges and a Secret Service spokesperson.

Fact Check:

Biden hosted over 600 members of the 2020 and 2022 U.S. Olympic Teams at the White House May 4, one of the largest gatherings of Team USA athletes on record, according to the Associated Press.

An image from the event is being shared on Facebook with a claim that it shows Biden surrounded by U.S. Marshals. The image shows Biden mingling with a crowd of athletes as men in suits stand nearby.

“One sec, guys. There was another video of today with the Olympic Team on Fox !” reads the post’s caption. “This is a screenshot from it. Appears as if Sleepy, was surrounded by US Marshall’s again!!! 4 of them bad boys!!!!” (RELATED: Did A White house Physician Demand Joe Biden’s Resignation Due To His Cognitive Decline?)

The men visible in the photo are not U.S. Marshals. Footage from the event shows the men in suits are wearing pins on their lapels associated with the Secret Service. The Secret Service pin, visible on the Secret Service’s Facebook page, is gold, not silver like those of the U.S. Marshals.

[embedded content]A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed to Check Your Fact in a phone call that the men in the image are Secret Service members and White House staff, not U.S. Marshals.

This is not the first time the Secret Service has been the subject of misinformation. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim from January 2021 that claimed Korean-American Secret Service agent David Cho was Biden’s “Chinese handler.”