Letitia James remarks on Donald Trump misrepresented as critique of Joe Biden | Fact check
Nate TrelaThe claim: Video shows Letitia James criticizing Joe Biden
An Oct. 30 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) combines video of President Joe Biden and New York Attorney General Letitia James, presenting her words as criticisms of Biden.
“Letitia James: I believe this President is an embarrassment to all that we stand for!” reads text with the video. In the clip, James makes comments about corruption and incompetence.
The post was shared more than 1,900 times in 10 days.
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Our rating: False
James is not talking about Biden in the clips. She made the comments in 2018 about Donald Trump during his presidency.
James’ comments directed at Trump, not Biden
All of the critical words from James in the Facebook post were previously found in a video posted in 2018 during her run for New York attorney general.
The original video shows James listing policy ideas, as well as her criticism of congressional Republicans, before she pivots to discuss Trump.
“I believe this president is incompetent,” she says in the video. “I believe this president is ill-equipped to serve in the highest office of this land. And I believe he is an embarrassment to all that we stand for.”
Those comments and others James makes about how “the president” can be prosecuted while in office are in the Facebook video. Set alongside the clips of Biden, they are being misleadingly presented as referencing him instead of Trump.
In the full video, however, she references Trump by name multiple times, emphasizing the importance of voting to spur change.
Fact check: No, New York attorney general was not 'arrested,' has been seen out in public
James won her 2018 election, becoming New York's first female attorney general and the first Black woman elected to statewide office. She filed a civil suit in September 2022 accusing Trump, his adult children and other Trump Organization executives of fraudulently inflating Trump's net worth to secure more favorable terms in financial dealings.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Now This, Sept. 14, 2018, Post on X
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