No evidence Biden wearing a Trump hat was a ‘lapse’ | Fact check

[En Español: No hay evidencias que Biden llevara gorra de Trump en evento por un ‘lapsus’]
A Sept. 11 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a video clip of President Joe Biden in the middle of a crowd putting a Trump 2024 hat on over his own hat.
“Joe Biden had another lapse and put on a Donald Trump cap,” the post reads in Spanish.
The post garnered more than 100 likes in six days. A similar post was also shared on Facebook.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
The implied claim here is wrong. The president wore the hat as a gesture of unity at the Sept. 11 event in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, according to the White House. Video shows he was joking with the crowd and acting intentionally as he put on the hat.
Various outlets have reported concerns from advisers and allies of the president about his “lapses,” and his mental acuity was a central question amid his debate performance and the ensuing decision to step out of the 2024 presidential race.
But there’s no evidence such issues occurred at the event held at the Shanksville Fire Station on Sept. 11 to honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Shanksville is a town close to where one of the four hijacked planes crashed.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a Sept. 11 post on X, formerly Twitter, that Biden’s gesture was part of a call for bipartisan unity.
“As a gesture, he gave a hat to a Trump supporter who then said that in the same spirit, POTUS should put on his Trump cap. He briefly wore it,” Bates wrote.
There are no credible reports about Biden suffering any lapse during the event. Multiple news agencies covered it and described the exchange as lighthearted rather than evidence of a lapse.
Fact check: Biden wore a Trump hat for several seconds at 9/11 event
A video from the event posted on TikTok shows Biden having a friendly conversation with a Trump supporter in the crowd. They end by swapping caps.
The man, who was wearing a Trump hat, asked Biden to autograph a presidential cap and asked him if he remembered his name.
“I don’t remember my name. I’m slow,” Biden says.
“You’re an old fart,” the man says.
“Yeah, I know, man, I’m an old guy,” Biden says. “I know you would know about that.”
The audience laughed and someone shouted for Biden to put the hat on. Biden did so for a few seconds.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.