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Threads posts
Threads posts
stated on November 9, 2024 in a Threads post:

“Biden agreed to a recount” in the 2024 presidential election.

False
By Ciara O'Rourke
November 15, 2024

No, President Joe Biden didn’t ‘agree’ to a recount in the 2024 presidential election

If your time is short

  • This claim is unfounded. 

See the sources for this fact-check

President Joe Biden called President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 6 to congratulate him on his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. 

Biden “expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together,” the White House said in a statement

On Nov. 13, at Biden’s invitation, Trump visited the White House, where Biden welcomed him back and offered to do “everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, have what you need.” 

But some social media users are claiming that Biden is behind an election recount effort.

“Biden agreed to recount,” a Nov. 9 Threads post said. “Video on my page!”

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The same Threads account also posted a link to a Nov. 6 TikTok video that said, “BREAKING: Biden has been asked to do an election recount on Trump’s victory.”

The White House didn’t immediately respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the post. Harris, meanwhile, has conceded the election. And we found no evidence, such as public statements from the White House or Biden or credible news coverage to support the claim that Biden has agreed to a recount. 

State laws govern  processes for disputing election results, the Library of Congress notes. Sometimes recounts are initiated automatically. In Pennsylvania, for example, the unofficial results in the U.S. Senate race Nov. 5 triggered a legally required statewide count because they were within one-half of 1 percentage point. A recount can also be initiated “at the request of a person or group with legal standing,” the Library of Congress says. “Each state has its own laws for conducting recounts.” 

Forty-one states and Washington, D.C., permit a losing candidate, a voter, a group of voters, or other concerned parties to petition for a recount, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Biden voted in Delaware, which allows any candidate for statewide office in a general election to apply to the court for a recount if the margin is less than 1,000 votes or less than 0.5% of all votes cast for two candidates — whichever amount is less, the National Conference of State Legislatures says.  

But we found no reports that Biden requested a recount, much less agreed to one. We rate the claim Biden agreed to a recount False. 

 
Our Sources

Threads post, Nov. 9, 2024

Threads post, Nov. 9, 2024

TikTok video, Nov. 6, 2024

The Hill, How close does the presidential election have to be for a recount?, Nov. 5, 2024

Library of Congress, What is the law on disputing presidential election results?, visited Nov. 14, 2024

The New York Times, Trump and Biden Make Nice at the White House, at Least for 29 Seconds, Nov. 13, 2024

ABC News, Biden congratulates Trump in phone call, invites him to meeting at White House, Nov. 6, 2024

Politico, Biden congratulates Trump on win, invites him to White House, Nov. 6, 2024

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Unofficial Results in U.S. Senate Race Trigger Legally Required Automatic State Recount, Nov. 13, 2024

National Conference of State Legislatures, Election recounts, updated Nov. 8, 2024

 

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