No proof Biden sued by pro-Trump retailer whose items now 'worthless' | Fact check

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY
·3 min read
3

The claim: Image shows Biden was sued over 'Let’s go, Brandon' merchandise after election dropout

A July 25 Threads post (direct link, archive link) includes a screenshot of what appears to be television news footage of a store selling items with a slogan that insults President Joe Biden.

“Breaking news: Biden sued for dropping out,” reads the text in the purported on-screen graphic. “Man says he lost $10,000 on ‘worthless’ Let’s go Brandon merchandise.”

Similar versions of the claim were also shared on Threads and X, formerly Twitter.

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The image was digitally created and does not show authentic news footage. There is no credible evidence of such a lawsuit.

No evidence of lawsuit filed by seller of anti-Biden merchandise

The effects of Biden’s July 21 announcement he would drop out of the presidential race have been wide-ranging and worldwide. The Threads post references a specific ripple affecting one particular group: retailers who sell merchandise criticizing the president. That includes items bearing the "Let's go, Brandon" euphemism, a stand-in for a profane attack on Biden.

But no credible evidence exists to indicate any of those retailers sued Biden.

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Such a lawsuit would generate significant news coverage, but there are no reports from legitimate media outlets that match the claim in the image’s on-screen graphic.

Additionally, the image contains several clues that give it away as a fabrication.

While it purports to show a frame of video captured from a news broadcast, it is actually a still photograph from a 2021 Fox Business story about the operator of a chain of stores that sell anti-Biden and pro-Donald Trump merchandise. The chyron matches two meme templates that are commonly used to generate fabricated TV news graphics. And the time in the lower left corner is shown in a 24-hour format, not the 12-hour version used by legitimate news stations in their corner clocks.

A USA TODAY review of the PACER court database found no federal lawsuits of any kind filed against Biden during the four days between the announcement of his decision and the sharing of the social media posts.

While Biden was named in a lawsuit filed between the end of June and Aug. 5, it came on July 31 – six days after the Threads post was shared. It also has nothing to do with anti-Biden merchandise.

A Louisiana man sued Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, claiming the decision by Biden to exit the race and the rise of Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee disenfranchised voters and violated two constitutional amendments. The complaint contains no references to merchandise of any kind, and the man who filed it, Horace L. Cook of Denham Springs, told USA TODAY that the lawsuit has no connection to the claim circulating on social media.

USA TODAY reached out to several social media users who shared the post but did not immediately receive responses.

Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No proof retailer sued Biden over Let's go, Brandon gear | Fact check

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