Getty In this screenshot from the DNC’s livestream of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Hunter Biden, son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, addresses the virtual convention on August 20, 2020.
Hunter Biden, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden‘s son, is not dead, despite a death hoax that is making the rounds on social media.
The false claim stems from a now-unavailable October 25 4chan post by an anonymous user. 4chan is a series of anonymous forums similar to Reddit. The post, which is now archived, read: “Hunter Biden died of a crack overdose over 20 minutes ago. Joe is already on his way to the hospital.”
The author did not provide any proof to support the claim, stating, “don’t ask me how I know.”
There is no evidence that Hunter Biden is deceased. The 50-year-old has been in the hot seat in the last week after a New York Post story about a recovered hard drive invoked attacks and conspiracy theories surrounding his business dealings.
Nonetheless, the recent death hoax began to circulate online, causing a flurry on Twitter. One user claimed that the 4chan poster also predicted former financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s death.
“Last time this anon posted, he was spot on,” the Twitter user, whose bio is linked to the Redpill Project, wrote. A screenshot of what appears to be an earlier 4chan post announcing Epstein’s “hanging” death is attached.
“We said it most likely would be the result,” the user continued, referencing the New York Post article’s findings on Biden. “This gives them an out for the laptop.”
It remains unclear whether the 4chan posters are in fact the same person.
The death hoax has since been archived on the 4chan website and been deemed “politically incorrect.”
Heavy has reached out to the Joe Biden Campaign for comment and is awaiting a response.
Here’s what you need to know:
Hunter Biden Has Been Open About His Struggle With Addiction
GettyVice President Joe Biden and sons Hunter Biden, left, and Beau Biden walk in the Inaugural Parade on January 20, 2009, in Washington, D.C.
Hunter Biden has not been shy about his struggles with addiction.
In 2014, he received an administrative discharge from the U.S. Navy Reserve after testing positive for cocaine, according to Newsweek.
Biden previously told The New Yorker that addiction is like a “darkness.”
Joe Biden touched on his son’s addiction during the September 29 presidential debate with President Donald Trump, expressing that he was proud of Hunter’s progress.
“My son, like a lot of people, like a lot of people you know at home, had a drug problem,” the Democratic hopeful said. “He’s overtaken it, he’s fixed it, he’s worked on it, and I’m proud of him.”‘
Trump falsely claimed during the debate that Hunter Biden was “thrown out of the military” and “dishonorably discharged for cocaine use,” Newsweek continued.
With Election Day Nearing, Hunter Biden Conspiracies Are Booming
Hunter Biden hasn’t been seen in public from what I can gather in over a yr. Has the DNC done something to him? Have they Clintoned him? From these emails he was desperate and using heavily! Where is Hunter Biden Joe and Jill? Where is he? Why isn’t law enforcement at their door?
Following the October 14 New York Post story, a wave of conspiracy theories surrounding Hunter Biden and his family have erupted online, with 4chan serving as the hub.
Politifact highlighted one particular false Facebook post accusing Hunter Biden of having “25,000 pics of him torturing and raping children under age 10 in China on his laptop!”
The misinformation originated from 4chan, the organization said.
“We can’t say for certain what is or isn’t on a hard drive,” Politifact disclosed. “But there is no evidence to support allegations that it contains thousands of images of Hunter Biden abusing children in China.”
On October 15, One America News Network’s Chief White House Correspondent Chanel Rion took to Twitter to claim that she saw the contents on “the hard drive” featured in the New York Post article.
“Drugs, underage obsessions, power deals,” Rion tweeted. “Druggie Hunter makes Anthony Weiner’s down under selfie addiction look normal.”
The reporter’s statement quickly migrated to 4chan, where “users anonymously speculated that it meant the FBI was investigating Hunter Biden,” according to Politifact.
“One user posing as Rion affirmed that speculation, saying the hard drive contained child pornography,” the outlet continued.
Politifact confirmed that Rion was not the person behind the 4chan posts. She tweeted on October 16 that she does “not post on chat forums,” the organization found.
“Social media users dedicated to QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory that claims Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic, left-leaning pedophiles, took the 4chan posts as evidence that the FBI was investigating Hunter Biden for potentially possessing child pornography,” Politifact said.
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