Emily Maitlis bluntly fact-checked over Joe Biden claim with 'context' warning
The former Newsnight presenter was shot down by a Community Note on X over a claim about the Democrat's presidency.
Journalist Emily Maitlis has had a tweet about Joe Biden brought into the spotlight for fact-checking. The President finally bowed to growing pressure to abandon his bid for a second term on Sunday night.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, following the announcement, the former Newsnight presenter wrote: "Biden has now endorsed his VP Harris for the presidency. He will continue in the role until November".
But the post was quickly challenged by a Community Note, which pointed out that Biden "finishes his term in January when the inauguration of the new President happens," with a link to the US government website's explainer on the transition period.
Notes of this kind are left by X users, and if enough contributors from different points of view rate it as helpful it will appear beneath posts to add context.
The US election will be held on November 5 this year, but the winner will only begin a four-year term in the White House from their inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Biden has now endorsed his VP Harris for the presidency. He will continue in the role until November. #biden
— emily m (@maitlis) July 21, 2024
In Biden's letter announcing his decision to drop out of the race, he said though he was passing on the torch, he aimed to serve as president "for the remainder of my term".
If he does, he will continue to be President up until the inauguration, when either his Democratic successor or the Republican candidate - Donald Trump - will take over, depending on who wins the election.
However, he could cease to be Commander-in-Chief sooner if he resigns, for health or family reasons, in which case Harris would become the President until January.
Biden announced his decision to step back from the race following pressure from within his own party to quit amid mounting concerns about his mental and physical fitness.
Serious questions were raised about Biden's mental acuity after his faltering debate performance against Trump last month, in which the Democrat appeared to lose his train of thought on multiple occasions, prompting his opponent to claim at one point he couldn't understand what the President was saying.
Other major verbal gaffes occurred in the weeks that followed, including Biden introducing Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelensky, whose country has suffered more than two years of war at the hands of Russia, as "President Putin" during a NATO summit this week before swiftly correcting himself.
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Though Biden had been defiant in his determination to fight on, recent polling putting Trump ahead in key swing states made his position look increasingly untenable.
Biden endorsed also Harris to be his successor for the Democratic presidential nomination writing on X: "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year."
Harris broke her silence on Biden's public statement yesterday, and vowed to beat former president Donald Trump in the next election.
The Vice-President wrote on X: "On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country.
"I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.
"I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party - and unite our nation - to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now."
There were early signs that the party was moving to coalesce around Harris, who scored the endorsements of the Congressional Black Caucus and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even before she had commented on Biden’s decision to quit the race.
But notably, former President Barack Obama held off, pledging support behind the eventual party nominee, and voicing his support for an open contest for the nomination.
