The allegation: Biden donned a Trump hat

An Instagram post from September 11 (direct link, archive link) features a photo of President Joe Biden wearing a red cap that says “Trump 2024.”

The post starts with “Biden Wears Trump Maga Hat,” adding, “I already thought the world was crazy, now this.”

Within a day, it received over 300 likes, and similar claims circulated on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter. Many commenters expressed skepticism, suggesting it might be “fake” or altered through Photoshop or AI.

Our verdict: True

A spokesperson for the White House confirmed that Biden briefly wore the hat as a sign of unity at a September 11 event.

Biden reportedly said ‘I need that hat’ before putting it on

While the photo drew mixed reactions in an election filled with manipulated images and videos, this instance was genuine.

On September 11, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates confirmed the photo’s legitimacy in a post on X.

Bates wrote, “At the Shanksville Fire Station, @POTUS talked about the nation’s need for bipartisan unity following 9/11 and how we needed to return to that. In a gesture, he gifted a cap to a Trump supporter, who then suggested that POTUS should wear his Trump cap. He wore it briefly.”

Biden attended the commemoration event in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11 to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This area is where United Airlines Flight 93, one of the hijacked planes, tragically crashed, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board.

Footage from the event shows Biden presenting a man with a blue cap featuring a presidential seal, and during the exchange, Biden states “I need that hat” while pointing at the man’s “Trump 2024” cap.

The man then offered Biden his cap, which the president placed atop his own hat for a few seconds before returning it back to the supporter.

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Media outlets such as The Hill, the Independent, and RealClearPolitics reported on Biden wearing the Trump hat.

YSL News attempted to reach out to users who published the post for comments but had not received a response right away.

Our fact-check references:

• BBC News, Sept. 12, Moment Biden puts on red Trump 2024 hat
• Andrew Bates, Sept. 11, X post