President gets upset

Was Joe Biden’s uncle eaten by cannibals?

The US president told the anecdote during an appearance in front of steelworkers in Pittsburgh.

(Bild: AP)

US President Joe Biden has caused a stir with an anecdote about an uncle who may have been eaten by cannibals during the Second World War. "He was shot down over New Guinea and his body was never found because there really were a lot of cannibals in that part of New Guinea," said Biden at a campaign appearance in Pittsburgh. However, the story turned out to be a legend.

Biden also told the anecdote about the cannibals to journalists. The US President had previously paid tribute to his uncle Ambrose J. Finnegan during a visit to a war memorial in his home town of Scranton. Finnegan during a visit to a war memorial in his home town of Scranton. He had died as a sub-lieutenant in the US Army in 1944, when Biden was still a small child.

Landed in the sea, out of reach of any cannibals
However, as with many family stories, it soon became apparent that this was in all likelihood a legend. The Pentagon's DPAA, which is responsible for investigating prisoners of war and missing soldiers, announced that the plane with Biden's uncle on board had had to ditch off the coast of the island in 1944 on a courier flight to New Guinea "for unknown reasons".

Biden at the appearance in the US state of Pennsylvania

(Bild: AP)

It was also said that the plane had hit the surface of the sea hard and that three crew members had not resurfaced. A reconnaissance flight the next day found no trace of the missing plane or crew members.

Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that Biden's uncle had died in the crash of his plane off New Guinea. Biden had highlighted his uncle's story because he wanted to emphasize his support for veterans of the US military. He wanted to distance himself from ex-president and Republican presidential candidate-elect Donald Trump, who is said to have insulted US soldiers killed in action as "losers" and "suckers".

A feast for opponents
Conversely, the fact that the anecdote told by Biden is not true is grist to the mill for his opponents. A video of his election campaign appearance was shared on the X platform by numerous conservative accounts in order to portray the US President as a liar on the one hand and as senile on the other.