Fact check: Biden did not say he will move to China if he loses, but Trump said he may consider leaving country

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The claim: Biden will move to China if he loses the election

A highly contested election this year has many debating what the candidates will do if their opponent wins. One Facebook post claims Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden declared he would leave the country.

"IF TRUMP WINS, I'M MOVING TO CHINA," reads a meme depicting Biden, fist raised and microphone to mouth, suggesting the quote is in the former vice president's own words.

The image shared on Oct. 18 to the Facebook group the Patriots' Page has earned 4,000 reactions and over 1,400 shares.

It is unclear whether the meme was a joke or satirical – USA TODAY could not reach the Patriots' Page for comment – but the response below was in overwhelming agreement.

"Surprised he doesnt (sic) have a house there already with all the $$$ hes (sic) gotten from them..." Facebook user Steve Swigart wrote.

"GOOD WE CAN BE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU , (sic) SO START MAKING YOUR ARRANGMENT (sic) TO MOVE BECAUSE GOD IS ON TRUMP'S SIDE AMEN" Lillie Taylor commented.

More: Fact check: Trump told moderator to 'go ahead,' not that separated families are 'good'

Some Facebook users escalated it further, suggesting Biden be incarcerated along with other high-ranking Democratic leaders.

"I hope you, Obama, Hillary, Pelosi, Newsome and all of the rest of your cronies go to prison for your treasonous acts against the US. The throw away the key," Lucille Cagle said.

"He's going to Guantanamo," Michael Laubis wrote, referring to the U.S. military prison located within the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the final presidential debate at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the final presidential debate at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Trump, not Biden, said he may leave the country

The former vice president has not, thus far, explicitly stated he would leave the country. During the ABC News town hall on Oct. 15, when asked a question regarding his plans if defeated, Biden stated would "hopefully" return to academia, according to ABC News' full transcript of the event.

Biden had been the Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor at the University of Pennsylvania until his 2020 presidential campaign, although he did not teach regular classes. He also had been an adjunct law professor at the Widener University Delaware Law School, co-teaching constitutional law on-and-off since 1991.

President Donald Trump, on the other hand, clearly announced, whether jokingly or otherwise, that he would consider leaving the country.

"Because you know what, running against the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics puts pressure on me. Could you imagine if I lose, my whole life what am I going to do? I'm going to say, 'I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics!'" he said to a laughing crowd during an Oct. 16 campaign rally in Macon, Georgia.

"I'm not going to feel so good, maybe I'll have to leave the country, I don't know."

Our ruling: False

We rate this claim FALSE because it is not supported by our research. Biden has never said he would move to China if losing the election, instead expressing a desire to return to academia.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Joe Biden didn't say he would move to China if he loses