In a surprising turn of events, the left-leaning fact-checking website Snopes has reversed one of its rulings, admitting that President Biden did, in fact, wear a construction hard hat backwards. The revelation came after a photo of Biden visiting union workers in Wisconsin alongside Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., showed the president with the hard hat’s strap and tightening knob clearly visible in the front.
Initially, Snopes published a fact check on Friday attempting to explain the appearance, claiming that the photo was misleading and that Biden was actually wearing the hat with the bill facing forward. However, social media users quickly pointed out that hard hats universally have the tightening strap on the back, leading to widespread criticism of Snopes’ ruling.
After facing backlash and scrutiny on social media, Snopes offered an update, reversing their fact check. They acknowledged that if the suspension of the hat had been purposely configured by its owner to wear it with the bill and tightening knob in the back, then wearing it with the bill facing forward would be considered wearing it backwards. Therefore, they concluded that in the photo op discussed, Biden was indeed wearing the hard hat backwards.
Additional pictures from Biden’s visit to Wisconsin showed the owner of the hard hat wearing it properly, with the tightening strap to the rear. This further supported the argument that Biden had indeed worn the hat backwards.
The reversal by Snopes has sparked discussions about the credibility of fact-checking websites and their potential biases. It raises questions about the responsibility these platforms have in providing accurate information to the public.
Anders Hagstrom, a reporter with Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events, contributed to this article. For any tips, he can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders. Stay updated with the latest news from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews, and more political content.
