Biden slams Meta’s decision to get rid of fact-checking in wide-ranging Q-and-A with reporters
CNN
By Samantha Waldenberg, Alejandra Jaramillo and Arlette Saenz, CNN
Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden said Friday that Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with user-generated community notes is “really shameful” as he answered questions from reporters on a number of subjects following a speech on the economy.
Biden appeared in the Roosevelt Room Friday evening to tout the latest jobs report and marking four years of continuous job growth under his administration. It was after that speech that the president took questions on Meta’s decision to get rid of fact checking, his post-presidency plans, new sanctions on Russia, possible pardons he may issue before his term is up in a week and a half, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, among other topics.
As part of the question-and-answer session, Biden was asked about the changes to Meta’s fact-checking process, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg just before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump and other Republicans have lambasted Zuckerberg and Meta for what they view as censorship of right-wing voices. Zuckerberg, however, acknowledged a “tradeoff” in the new policy, noting more harmful content will appear on the platform as a result of the content moderation changes.
“The idea that, you know, a billionaire can buy something and say, ‘By the way, from this point on, we’re not going to we’re not going to fact check anything.’ And you know, when you have millions of people reading, going online, reading this stuff … I think it’s really shameful,” Biden said.
The moderation changes mark a stunning reversal in how Meta handles false and misleading claims on its platforms. In 2016, the company launched an independent fact-checking program, in the wake of claims that it had failed to stop foreign actors from leveraging its platforms to spread disinformation and sow discord among Americans. In the years since, it continued to grapple with the spread of controversial content on its platform, such as misinformation about elections, anti-vaccination stories, violence and hate speech.
But now, Zuckerberg is following in the footsteps of fellow social media leader Elon Musk who, after acquiring X, then known as Twitter, in 2022, dismantled the company’s fact-checking teams and made user-generated context labels, called “community notes,” the platform’s only method of correcting false claims.
“Fact checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created,” Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the new policy Tuesday.
Biden watching Trump before making pardon decisions
Biden told reporters he is watching to see if Trump telegraphs whether he might “punish people” when he takes power before making any decisions about whether to issue additional pardons in his final days in office.
“It depends on some of the language and expectations that Trump broadcasts in the last couple of days here as to what he’s going to do,” the president said when asked about what pardons and commutations he’s considering.
“The idea that he would punish people for not adhering to what he thinks should be policy as it related to his well being is outrageous,” Biden said. “But there’s still consideration of some folks, but no decision.”
Asked if he’d rule out a pardon for himself or his family, Biden appeared taken aback, saying, “What would I pardon myself for?”
“No, I have no contemplation of pardoning myself for anything,” he added. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The president did not offer further details about who he is considering pardoning.
In an interview with USA Today last weekend, the president said he had not made a decision about issuing preemptive pardons before leaving office, leaving the door open to an unprecedented move to protect some of his allies as he warned Trump against trying to “settle scores.”
CNN has previously reported senior White House officials, administration officials and prominent defense attorneys in Washington, DC, have discussed potential preemptive pardons or legal aid for individuals who might be targets for prosecution by Trump after he takes power.
President believes he could have beat Trump in November – and Harris ‘would have’
Biden said that Harris “could have” and “would have” beaten Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“I think I would have beaten Trump, could’ve beaten Trump. I think Kamala could have beaten Trump, would have beaten Trump,” Biden said
The president then said he was “confident she could win” the 2024 election at the time he made his decision last summer.
“When the party was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to move I thought, even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party, and it was the greatest honor in my life to be president of the United States, but I didn’t want to be one who caused a party that wasn’t unified to lose an election, and that’s why I stepped aside, but I was confident she could win,” Biden added.
Trump won the 2024 election, receiving 312 electoral votes, while Harris received 226.
Asked if Harris should run again in 2028 for the Democratic nomination for president, Biden told reporters that is a decision that the vice president should make.
“I think that’s a decision she should make,” Biden said. “I think she’s competent to run again in four years, that’d be a decision for her to make.”
Biden won’t comment on new Havana syndrome intelligence
Biden told reporters Friday that he would not comment on new intelligence suggesting the mysterious illness known as “Havana syndrome” was possibly caused by a foreign weapon.
“I don’t have a full brief on that right now. I’m not going to comment on that,” Biden said.
Initially, Biden appeared to mishear the reporter’s question on Havana syndrome – and instead, offered a lengthy and detailed answer on homegrown terrorism in relation to the Nevada and Louisiana New Year’s Day incidents.
As CNN reported earlier Friday, new intelligence has led two US intelligence agencies to conclude that it’s possible a small number of the mysterious health ailments. impacting spies, soldiers and diplomats around the world may have been caused by a “novel weapon” wielded by a foreign actor, according to intelligence officials and a new unclassified summary report.
Post-presidency
Biden said Friday that we will not be “out of sight, out of mind,” when asked what kind of role he will have post presidency by a reporter after delivering remarks at the White House on the economy.
A reporter asked if Biden planned to stay involved in the political process after leaving office or if he would follow George W. Bush’s model of stepping back and staying out of current affairs.
“I’m not gonna be out of sight or out of mind,” Biden answered.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
