If you spent any time on X or TikTok during the chaotic lead-up to the 2024 election, you probably saw the thumbnail. There’s Joe Biden. He’s grinning. And he’s wearing a bright red "Trump 2024" hat. The captions were predictable: "It’s over," "Biden flips," or the big one—Joe Biden endorses Trump.
But did he? Honestly, no. Not even close.
Politics is a game of optics, and that single image of a sitting Democratic president wearing the gear of his arch-rival was a goldmine for meme creators and campaign staff. It felt like a glitch in the matrix. However, the story behind that photo—and the actual relationship between the two men as Trump returned to the White House in January 2025—is way more nuanced than a clickbait headline.
The Shanksville Hat Swap: Unity or Gaffe?
The whole "endorsement" rumor started in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was September 11, 2024. Biden was at a local fire station to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. This wasn't a campaign stop; it was supposed to be a moment of bipartisan mourning.
Biden started chatting with a Trump supporter. In a rare moment of old-school "across the aisle" banter, Biden offered the man a hat with the presidential seal. The man, jokingly, dared Biden to put on his Trump cap.
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Biden did it.
He popped the red hat on over his head for a few seconds, flashed a toothy grin, and the room laughed. The White House later called it a "gesture of unity." Predictably, the Trump campaign’s social media team had the video edited and posted within minutes. They didn't mention the context of 9/11 or the "unity" bit. They just used it to suggest Biden had finally seen the light—or at least that he preferred Trump over his own Vice President, Kamala Harris.
Why people believed the "Endorsement" story
We live in a world where deepfakes are everywhere. By the time 2025 rolled around, AI-generated audio of Biden and Trump "being bros" was all over YouTube. So, when a real photo of Biden in a Trump hat surfaced, it fit a narrative people were already primed to believe.
There were also those persistent rumors that Biden was "fuming" about being pushed out of the race in July 2024. Pundits claimed he wanted Harris to lose to prove only he could have beaten Trump. It makes for a great soap opera, but there’s zero evidence Biden actually sabotaged the campaign or switched sides.
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What Really Happened When Trump Won
When the 2024 election results came in and Donald Trump secured his return as the 47th President, Joe Biden didn't go into hiding. He did exactly what he’d spent years criticizing Trump for not doing in 2020: he facilitated a peaceful transfer of power.
In November 2024, Biden invited Trump to the Oval Office. They sat in those famous yellow armchairs. They shook hands. Biden looked at him and said, "Congratulations, and I look forward to... having a smooth transition."
Trump, surprisingly, was polite back. He told Biden, "Politics is tough, and it’s many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today."
This wasn't an endorsement. It was the machinery of American democracy grinding back into gear. Biden spent the following months until the January 20, 2025, inauguration trying to "Trump-proof" certain policies—like rushing military aid to Ukraine and setting environmental rules—hardly the actions of a man who wanted Trump to succeed.
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Separating Viral Fiction from Political Fact
If you’re still seeing posts claiming Joe Biden endorses Trump, here is the reality check you can take to the bank:
- The Hat was a Prank: Biden wore the hat for less than 30 seconds as a joke with a constituent in Shanksville.
- The Endorsement was for Harris: Biden’s official endorsement went to Kamala Harris on July 21, 2024, the same day he dropped out. He campaigned for her (albeit sparingly) until Election Day.
- The 2025 Handover: Biden’s cooperation during the transition was about the office of the Presidency, not the person filling it.
How to spot political misinformation in 2026
Honestly, it's getting harder. With the current administration's focus on reversing Biden-era policies, the "lore" of Biden's secret support for Trump continues to live on in fringe corners of the internet. Here’s how you stay sharp:
- Check the Source: Was the "endorsement" a video from a verified news outlet or a 5-second clip on a "MAGA_King2024" account?
- Look for the "Why": Why would a man who spent his entire 2024 campaign calling Trump an "existential threat to democracy" suddenly change his mind?
- Read the Transcripts: Don't trust the captions. Go find the actual transcript of the Rose Garden speech from November 7, 2024. Biden was graceful, but he clearly stated, "We lost this battle."
Real-World Takeaways
Politics is theater, but the stakes are real. The "Biden endorses Trump" saga is a perfect case study in how a single image can be weaponized to change a narrative.
If you want to be a savvy consumer of news, you've gotta look past the "gotcha" moments. Biden didn't flip. He lost, he shook the winner's hand, and he moved to Delaware. That might be less exciting than a secret alliance, but it's the truth.
Actionable Insights for Navigating Political News:
- Verify viral images: Use reverse image search (like Google Lens) to find the original context of a shocking photo.
- Distinguish between "Civility" and "Agreement": A handshake in the Oval Office is a protocol, not a policy shift.
- Follow the policy, not the memes: If you want to know how Biden really feels about Trump, look at the executive orders he signed in his final weeks to try and protect his legacy.
Keep your eyes open. In the 2026 political cycle, the "hat swap" won't be the last time a joke is turned into a headline.