On July 21, 2024, President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing his candidacy for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Within hours, a new conspiracy theory began circulating on social media: that Biden had actually died, and that his death was being covered up by the White House. The rumor gained traction thanks to images of the U.S. flag flying at half-staff at what many claimed was the White House.

But the images were misleading. The building shown was not the White House but the United States Capitol, the seat of Congress. And the flag was not lowered because of Biden’s supposed death; it was lowered to honor Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a veteran Democratic congresswoman from Texas who died on July 19 at the age of 74. The misattribution of the flag protocol to Biden’s death is a textbook example of how visual misinformation can spread rapidly, especially in the emotionally charged atmosphere of a presidential election.

The origin of the death rumor

The rumor appears to have started on X (formerly Twitter) and then spread to other platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram. Users posted side-by-side comparisons of the Capitol with the flag at half-staff, claiming it was unprecedented and must signify a presidential death. Some even alleged a “coup d’état” or that the government was hiding Biden’s condition. The posts were shared thousands of times before fact-checkers could respond.

In reality, flag protocols are well established in the United States. The U.S. Flag Code and executive orders specify when the flag should be flown at half-staff. Typically, it is lowered for the death of a current or former president, vice president, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, and other dignitaries. However, it can also be lowered for state funerals, national tragedies, or by order of the president. On July 22, the flag at the Capitol was at half-staff by order of the Speaker of the House, in honor of Rep. Jackson Lee, as is customary for sitting members of Congress.

Who was Sheila Jackson Lee?

Sheila Jackson Lee was a prominent figure in Democratic politics. Born on January 12, 1950, in Queens, New York, she earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and later moved to Texas. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, representing Texas’s 18th congressional district, which includes parts of Houston. Over her nearly 30-year career, she was known for her work on civil rights, criminal justice reform, and women’s issues. She served on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee, and she chaired the Congressional Black Caucus for a term.

Jackson Lee was also a vocal advocate for victims of domestic violence and for reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Her death was met with tributes from both sides of the aisle, including from President Biden, who called her “a fierce champion of justice and equality.” The flag-lowering was a standard mark of respect, not a covert signal about the president’s health.

Why the rumor persists

The Biden death rumor fits a long pattern of conspiracy theories targeting sitting presidents. Similar hoaxes have been aimed at Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and even Joe Biden earlier in his presidency. In 2020, for example, baseless claims that Biden had undergone secret surgery or had died were spread widely. The current rumor is particularly potent because it taps into existing narratives about Biden’s age and health. At 81, Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history, and his decision to withdraw from the race was itself partly due to concerns about his age and fitness. This creates a fertile ground for rumors that he may have died or is seriously ill.

Another factor is the visual nature of the flag image. People trust images, especially when they seem to show a clear “smoking gun.” The fact that many social media users do not recognize the difference between the White House and the Capitol adds to the confusion. The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, has a distinct architectural profile; the Capitol has a massive dome. Yet the two are frequently confused in photographs. This confusion is not new: in 2020, a photo of the Capitol with a lowered flag was also falsely attributed to the White House as a sign that something had happened to then-President Trump.

The role of social media algorithms

Platforms like X, under new ownership, have reduced some fact-checking efforts, allowing falsehoods to spread faster. Algorithmic amplification favors emotionally charged content, and the death rumor is nothing if not emotionally charged. Many users shared the posts without verifying the source, simply to express their shock or to criticize Biden’s opponents. This is a classic dynamic: misinformation spreads not only because people believe it, but because they want to signal something—loyalty, outrage, or insider knowledge.

In this case, some users on the far right used the rumor to argue that Biden’s withdrawal was a sham orchestrated by Democrats, while some on the far left used it to claim that the government was covering up a catastrophic event. The result was a perfect storm of cross-ideological engagement. By the time fact-checkers from outlets like the Associated Press, Reuters, and independent platforms had weighed in, the rumor had already been viewed millions of times.

How to spot such misinformation

To avoid falling for similar hoaxes, readers should follow a few simple steps. First, always check the source of an image. Reverse image searches can quickly reveal when an image has been repurposed. Second, look for official statements. If a president had died, it would be a global news story—not a secret revealed by a single photograph. Third, understand that flag-lowering is a routine procedure with many possible reasons, not just the death of a president. As of late July 2024, the most recent U.S. elected official to be honored by flag-lowering at the Capitol was Sheila Jackson Lee, not Joe Biden.

Finally, be cautious of accounts that post sensational claims with no other supporting evidence. Most of the accounts spreading the Biden death rumor had few followers and a history of posting conspiracy theories. Verified news sources, such as the official White House press releases, the Congressional Record, and major news organizations, are far more reliable than anonymous social media accounts. As the 2024 election approaches, expect more such attempts to confuse the public. Staying informed means staying skeptical—especially when information plays on our deepest fears or biases.

The flag at the Capitol will likely return to full staff after a period of mourning for Rep. Jackson Lee. Meanwhile, Joe Biden remains alive and has issued several statements since stepping down, including a heartfelt endorsement of Kamala Harris and a promise to campaign for Democratic candidates in the fall. The death rumor is completely baseless, but it serves as a reminder of how easily visual evidence can be twisted in the digital age. In the coming weeks, both the Biden-Harris team and fact-checkers will be working overtime to ensure that voters are not misled by such fabrications.

Source: Numerama News