Politics
Biden's bogus college claim is just latest in decades-long pattern of embellishment
President Biden falsely claimed earlier this week that he was the “first” person in his family to “go to college,” continuing a decades-long habit of making false or embellished claims about his life.
Biden has been scrutinized several times over the years for fabricating tales, including claiming to have been arrested in apartheid-era South Africa, being in a helicopter that was “forced down” by Al-Qaeda insurgents in Afghanistan, and even trivial events involving an Amtrak conductor who had passed away before his alleged story took place.
Biden continued the trend on Monday while speaking in the battleground state of Wisconsin as he outlined his plan to provide “life-changing” relief to student loan debt.
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President Biden has a history of exaggerated tales about his life and career. (Fox News)
“I, like an awful lot of people in this audience, was the first in my family to go to college and watched by dad struggled to help me get there,” Biden told the crowd.
However, less than two years ago, during a speech in Pennsylvania, Biden told an audience that his grandfather played college football.
“My grandfather Finnegan from Scranton would really be proud of me right now,’ Biden said in Pittsburgh in October 2022. “No, I’m not joking. He would. By the way, he was an All-American football player [inaudible] in Santa Clara.”
When asked about his recent comments and his embellishments throughout the years, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital that President Biden “is proud to have restored honesty, integrity, and respect for the rule of law to the Oval Office.”
He added that Biden is also proud “to be the first Biden to graduate college.”
Biden’s exaggerations regarding colleges also extend to a previous claim that he taught “political theory” at the University of Pennsylvania, which he mentioned in Maryland in September 2023.
“Democracy is at stake, folks. Our democracy is under attack. And we gotta fight for it,” Biden said. “I taught at the University of Pennsylvania for four years. And I used to teach political theory. And folks, you always hear every generation has to fight for democracy. And I found myself – it’s automatic, we didn’t have to believe it – but we do. We do.”
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Fact Checkers have hit Biden over his stories in the past. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Bloomberg via Getty)
There is little to no evidence that Biden ever taught “political theory” at the University of Pennsylvania. While the university’s website notes that the president was the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Professor of Practice from 2017 to 2021, a Snopes.com fact-check on his previous but similar claim – that he was a “full professor at the University of Pennsylvania” for four years – found that “he did not teach a semester’s worth of courses” while in this role.
Snopes noted that this “role was honorary” and that he “gave lectures and talks to students on campus but did not teach a full semester’s course load during that time.”
Years before, when he ran for president in 1987, Biden exaggerated his academic record by bragging that he graduated “in the top half” of his class while berating a reporter on the campaign trail.
“I think I have a much higher I.Q. than you do, I suspect,” Biden told the reporter in New Hampshire at the time. “I went to law school on a full academic scholarship, the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship.”
“In the first year of law school, I decided I didn’t want to be in law school and ended up in the bottom two-thirds of my class,” he said. “And then I decided to stay, went back to law school, and in fact ended up in the top half of my class.”
He later admitted that he graduated 76th in a class of 85.
“I did not graduate in the top half of my class at law school, and my recollection of this was inaccurate,” he told the New York Times.
“I graduated from the University of Delaware with a double major in history and political science,” he said. “My reference to degrees at the Claremont event was intended to refer to these majors -—I said ‘three’ and should have said ‘two.’”
The outlet pointed out that Biden received a single B.A. degree in history and political science.
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Biden’s tall tales date back decades. (Getty Images)
Since then, Biden has told numerous stories that have also been deemed exaggerations. Mainstream outlets, including the Washington Post, have even called him out on them, including the publication’s top fact-checker Glenn Kessler.
In September 2023, Kessler penned an article about how “Biden loves to retell certain stories” and how some lack credibility. His report assembled several of Biden’s accounts, including one about an Amtrak conductor he claimed hailed him on having traveled more than two million miles on the railroad, exceeding the 1.2 million miles traveled on Air Force planes as vice president as of 2016.
However, the conductor retired in 1993 and passed away two years before Biden reached that milestone in the air.
Other stories Kessler addressed include Biden’s claim that he and his father saw two men in suits kissing each other in public when he was a teenager, that he was arrested for trying to see Nelson Mandela in South Africa, and how, as vice president, he arranged for his uncle to be presented a Purple Heart that he was owed and never received, except the uncle died in 1999, long before Biden was vice president.
Biden has also been repeatedly called out for his claims of being very close with Somali cab drivers in Wilmington, Delaware.
“Somalis have made my city of Wilmington, Del. (their home) on a smaller scale. There is a very identifiable Somali community,” then-Vice President Biden said. “I might add if you come to the train station with me you’ll notice I have great relationships with them because there’s an awful lot driving cabs and are friends of mine. For real. I’m not being solicitous. I’m being serious.”
US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden wear Hawaiian leis as they walk to board Air Force One before departing Kahului Airport in Kahului, Hawaii, on August 21, 2023. The Bidens spent the day meeting with first responders, survivors, and local officials following deadly wildfires in Maui. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Politifact, a liberal fact checking website, rated the statement as “Pants on fire” and said the statement “set eyerolls rolling.” Other outlets also covered the claim and dismissed it as “strange” and “insensitive.”
Biden also repeated a false claim last year about his house burning down to try to relate to those who lost their houses from the wildfires ravaging Maui.
“I don’t want to compare difficulties, but we have a little sense, Jill and I, of what it was like to lose a home,” Biden said. “Years ago, now, 15 years, I was in Washington doing ‘Meet the Press’… Lightning struck at home on a little lake outside the home, not a lake a big pond. It hit the wire and came up underneath our home, into the… air condition ducts.
“To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my ’67 Corvette, and my cat,” the president added.
A 2004 report from the Associated Press, archived by LexisNexis, said lightning struck the Bidens’ home and started a “small fire that was contained to the kitchen.” The report said firefighters got the blaze under control in 20 minutes and that they were able to keep the flames from spreading beyond the kitchen.
Fox News Digital’s Jessica Chasmar, Gabriel Hayes, Joseph A. Wulfsohn, and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Politics
Trump lists accomplishments, says ‘Radical Left Scum’ are ‘failing badly’ in Christmas message
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President Donald Trump used his Christmas Eve Truth Social post to tout his administration’s accomplishments and to bash those on the left whom he accused of trying to “destroy” the U.S.
“Merry Christmas to all, including the radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country, but are failing badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We no longer have open borders, men in women’s sports, transgender for everyone, or weak law enforcement. What we do have is a record stock market and 401K’s, lowest crime numbers in decades, no inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected.”
“Tariffs have given us trillions of dollars in growth and prosperity, and the strongest national security we have ever had. We are respected again, perhaps like never before. God Bless America!!!,” the president added.
In the first year of Trump’s second term, the administration launched a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, introduced controversial tariffs, worked to cut DEI from government programs and took steps toward fulfilling other campaign promises.
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President Donald Trump calls children as he participates in tracking Santa Claus’ movements with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort on Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. This is the 70th year that NORAD has publicly tracked Santa’s sleigh on its global rounds. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it had arrested 17,500 criminal illegal immigrants since Trump signed the Laken Riley Act in January 2025. In a separate DHS announcement, the department unveiled the “2025 Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens,” saying that 70% of all ICE arrests are of illegal immigrants “convicted or charged with a crime in the U.S.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on the results of the Laken Riley Act that “President Trump has empowered us to arrest and remove the millions of violent criminal illegal aliens unleashed on the United States by the previous administration. Now, these criminals will face justice and be removed from our country.”
Trump’s Christmas Truth Social post on his administration’s accomplishments was also backed up by recent economic data. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its initial estimate of the third-quarter GDP, which showed the economy grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the three-month period including July, August and September.
President Donald Trump pumps his fist at Christmas Eve dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
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“Compared to the second quarter, the acceleration in real GDP in the third quarter reflected a smaller decrease in investment, an acceleration in consumer spending, and upturns in exports and government spending. Imports decreased less in the third quarter,” the BEA said.
While the president issued a cutting Christmas Eve statement on Truth Social, his official Christmas Day message was softer and more focused on the meaning of the holiday and the season.
In the statement, which was released by the White House on Thursday, Trump and first lady Melania Trump relayed their warm wishes to Americans while emphasizing the religious significance of Christmas.
The Trump administration launched a new website celebrating Christmas and the federal government’s contributions to the U.S. stretching back decades. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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“The First Lady and I send our warmest wishes to all Americans as we share in the joy of Christmas Day and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the message reads.
Trump went on to recount the biblical story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, calling it “the perfect expression of God’s boundless love and His desire to be close to His people.” The president then tied the story to the founding principles of the U.S.
“For nearly 250 years, the principles of faith, family, and freedom have remained at the center of our way of life. As President, I will never waver in defending the fundamental values that make America the greatest country in the history of the world—and we will always remain one Nation under God.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in calls to U.S. service members, on Christmas Eve, from the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 24, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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The president also paid homage to U.S. servicemembers who are overseas and are unable to be with their families for the holiday. Trump thanked them for their service and sacrifice and their dedication to protecting Americans.
“We are grateful for their devotion, and we keep them and their loved ones close in our hearts.”
Trump ended his official message with a prayer for peace in the U.S. and across the globe, extending Christmas wishes to Americans and the world.
“During the Christmas season, we pray for an outpouring of God’s abiding love, divine mercy, and everlasting peace upon our country and the entire world,” he said.. “To every American, and to those celebrating around the globe, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!”
Netflix and Paramount are locked in an epic tug-of-war for HBO and Warner Bros. — the historic film factory behind Batman, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, “Casablanca” and “The Matrix.”
Warner Bros. Discovery awarded the prize to Netflix, prompting Paramount to mount a hostile takeover bid valued at $108 billion for all of the Warner assets, which also include CNN, TBS, HGTV and TLC. The Larry Ellison-backed media company, run by his son David Ellison, has asked Warner shareholders to sell their shares to Paramount.
Warner Bros.’ sale has become the industry’s game of thrones.
The streaming king, Netflix, hopes to buy a chunk of the company — HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros. film and TV studios and the 110-acre lot in Burbank — through its $82.7-billion deal. Not included are Warner’s basic cable channels, which are set to be spun off into a separate, publicly-traded company called Discovery Global.
Both deals would fundamentally reorder Hollywood and raise antitrust concerns. Netflix would boast more than 400 million subscribers worldwide, furthering its market dominance. And Paramount’s takeover would combine two major film studios and two leading news organizations, CNN and CBS News, under Ellison family control.
Here’s a look at how we got here:
Politics
Nearly 20 states sue HHS over declaration to restrict gender transition treatment for minors
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A group of 19 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a declaration that aims to restrict gender transition treatment for minors.
The lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and its inspector general comes after the declaration issued last week described treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender surgeries as unsafe and ineffective for children experiencing gender dysphoria.
The declaration also warned doctors they could be excluded from federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if they provide these treatments to minors.
The move seeks to build on President Donald Trump’s executive order in January calling on HHS to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.”
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The lawsuit was filed against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and its inspector general. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
“We are taking six decisive actions guided by gold standard science and the week one executive order from President Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation,” Kennedy said during a press conference last week.
HHS has also proposed new rules designed to further block gender transition treatment for minors, although the lawsuit does not address the rules, which have yet to be finalized.
The states’ lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Eugene, Oregon, argues that the declaration is inaccurate and unlawful and urges the court to prevent it from being enforced.
“Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary health care because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the lawsuit, said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims the declaration attempts to pressure providers into ending gender transition treatment for young people and circumvent legal requirements for policy changes. The complaint said federal law requires the public be given notice and an opportunity to comment before substantively amending health policy and that neither of these were done before the declaration was released.
HHS’ move seeks to build on President Donald Trump’s executive order in January calling on HHS to protect children from “chemical and surgical mutilation.” (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The declaration based its conclusions on a peer-reviewed report that the department conducted earlier this year that called for more reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender transition treatment for minors with gender dysphoria.
The report raised questions about standards for the treatment of transgender children issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and brought concerns that youths may be too young to give consent to life-changing treatments that could result in future infertility.
Major medical groups and physicians who treat transgender children have criticized the report as inaccurate.
HHS also announced last week two proposed federal rules — one to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that offer gender transition treatment to children and another to block federal Medicaid money from being used for these procedures.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James led the lawsuit against the Trump administration. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The proposals have not yet been made final and are not legally binding because they must go through a lengthy rulemaking process and public comment before they can be enforced.
Several major medical providers have already pulled back on gender transition treatment for youths since Trump returned to office, even those in Democrat-led states where the procedures are legal under state law.
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Medicaid programs in just under half of states currently cover gender transition treatment. At least 27 states have adopted laws restricting or banning the treatment, and the Supreme Court’s decision this year upholding Tennessee’s ban likely means other state laws will remain in place.
Democrat attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, Washington state and Washington, D.C., as well as Pennsylvania’s Democrat governor, joined James in the lawsuit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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