Viral video of Biden saying he's reinstating the draft is a deepfake

On April 13, Iran launched an attack against Israel, an American ally, using hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. One young girl was injured by shrapnel and a military base sustained minor damage, but no additional damage or injuries were reported.

The attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel. On April 14, President Joe Biden and G7 leaders met and ensured the global leaders would “continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation.”

But a viral clip claims to show Biden saying the U.S. will soon play a larger role in the fight against Iranian forces. In this clip, Biden appears to announce that he is reinstating the draft for both men and women in order to combat Iranian and Russian forces. Russia and Iran are allies, and both have been sanctioned by the U.S.

In the video, Biden says the first to be called for the draft will be men and women whose 20th birthday falls during calendar year 2023. People on social media have expressed shock that Biden would reinstate the draft.

THE QUESTION

Did Biden reinstate the draft for men and women, as the viral clip shows?

THE SOURCES

• The White House original video from December 2021
• Selective Service System
• InVid and RevEye, footage forensics tools

THE ANSWER

No, Biden did not reinstate the draft for men and women. The video is a deepfake. 

WHAT WE FOUND

Biden has never said he was reinstating the draft for men and women. The video is a deepfake that was created using a real White House video from December 2021.

Deepfakes are made using artificial intelligence technologies that can replace or synthesize faces, speech or expressions of emotions. 

Jack Posobiec, a commentator and contributor for the conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA), created the video. In March 2023, Posobiec posted a similar video, but with false claims Biden was reinstating the draft to help defend Ukraine against Russian forces. That video was also a deepfake.

Posobiec can be seen 60 seconds into the video confirming it was created using article intelligence to provide Americans with a “sneak peak” of what would happen should Biden reinstate the draft. He didn’t call it a “recreation” of Biden, but instead a “pre-creation” made to prepare Americans. 

The deepfake was created from this video, posted to the White House YouTube page on Dec. 7, 2021. In that video, Biden doesn’t mention the war in Ukraine or the draft at all. He talks about lowering insulin costs for Americans. 

In both the deepfake and the original video, Biden is wearing the same outfit, his hand movements are the same and the background is identical. But Biden’s words have been edited in the deepfake version. 

There were also some falsehoods used in Biden’s deepfake speech. 

In the deepfake, Biden says he can invoke the Selective Service Act under his authority as president. In reality, the president does not have that authority. It would take an act of Congress to reinstate the draft, according to the Selective Service.

The Selective Service website also says there is no draft at present. VERIFY has previously fact-checked claims women would be required to register for the draft and found those claims to be false.