The claim: President Joe Biden plans to sell Alaska to Russia
With gas prices rising and tensions in Eastern Europe worsening, social media users are sharing satirical claims about how the U.S. plans to respond.
“Biden Sells Alaska Back To Russia So We Can Start Drilling For Oil There Again,” reads a headline shared in a March 7 Facebook post.
The post, which was published by the page Being Libertarian, racked up more than 2,000 shares within two days. But its claim is not based in fact – it’s satire.
Headline from satire site
The headline pictured in the Facebook post was published by The Babylon Bee, a satire website. Being Libertarian linked to the article in the post’s comments.
“The deliberate and premeditated invasion of Ukraine by brutal dictator Vladimir Putin has forced the US to reassess the importance of energy independence,” The Babylon Bee wrote in its article, published March 7. “With this new resolve, the Biden Administration has taken its first step toward increasing oil production for Americans by selling Alaska back to Russia so we can start drilling for oil there again.”
The Babylon Bee describes its site as “the world’s best satire site, totally inerrant in all its truth claims.” USA TODAY has previously fact-checked out-of-context headlines from the website.
There is no evidence Biden said he plans to sell Alaska.
Biden announced March 8 a ban on U.S. imports of all Russian energy products.
“Russian oil will no longer be accepted at U.S. ports,” the president said at the White House. “We will not be part of subsidizing Putin’s war.”
During his remarks, Biden warned the decision could affect Americans, as prices are rising at the gas pump. The U.S. relies on Russia for 3% of all its crude oil imports.
The Babylon Bee headline also appears to reference a Jan. 10 announcement from the Biden administration to reverse a Trump-era policy aimed at opening up large areas of the Arctic to new oil development.
Our rating: Satire
Based on our research, we rate SATIRE the claim that Biden plans to sell Alaska to Russia. The claim stems from an article published by The Babylon Bee, a satire website. There is no evidence Biden plans to sell Alaska.
