Viral Jimmy Kimmel Clip Of Mike Pence Carrying 'Empty Boxes' Debunked
Earlier today, the Twitter account for late-night talkshow Jimmy Kimmel Live shared a clip of Vice President Mike Pence carrying boxes of supplies to a North Virginia nursing home. In the video, Kimmel jokes about Pence lifting empty boxes as a publicity stunt, criticizing the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The clip shows Pence delivering boxes to the door of the nursing home and returning to a nearby van for more. When he asks about the remaining boxes, he is told that they were empty.
"Well, can I carry the empty ones? Just for the cameras?" joked Vice President Pence.
Unfortunately for Kimmel, Pence didn't carry those boxes.
In the segment, Kimmel focused on this hot-mic recording Pence asking about the empty boxes, cutting the video before Pence shuts the doors to the van. The video implies that he went on to bring the empty boxes into the nursing home for a photo opportunity. Kimmel continues to mock Pence throughout the clip, claiming that the video is a metaphor for the administration.
The tweet featured the caption, "A big box of nothing, delivering another box of nothing…@Mike_Pence."
The video has since Kimmel's Twitter account. However, the misleading video went viral.
As others pointed out online, the video cuts before Pence shuts the door and returns to discuss the support efforts made by the government.
That day "Kimmel" and "#PenceFraud" were top trending topics on Twitter. Many critics of Pence on the platform continued to use the video as proof of Pence's incompetence, citing the Vice President's lack of a face mask and gloves, as well as the "empty boxes."
Exposed as a fraud.Video of Mike Pence @VP supposedly delivering PPE to an Alexandria, VA nursing home for the camerasJimmy Kimmel explains what was caught on a hot micThe boxes were emptyNo maskNo PPENo integrityFolks, we have to get them out of our White House pic.twitter.com/Zq35HayiKv
— Riotwomennn Temporary Because Copyright BS (@RiotwomennnTemp) May 8, 2020
Others used the edit to prove the opposite: That Kimmel, Democrats and the media were lying to push their agenda.
A small sampling of media people and Democrats pushing Jimmy Kimmel's deceptively edited video of Mike Pence delivering PPE. pic.twitter.com/GGUTL8JkyV
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 8, 2020
Kimmel later apologized for the clip.
"it would appear that
@vp was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt," he tweeted. "The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt. My apologies. I know how dearly this administration values truth."
it would appear that @vp was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt. The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt. My apologies. I know how dearly this administration values truth. https://t.co/hI9cO4lxcX
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) May 8, 2020
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deplorable
if only jimmy kimmel was funny and had a personality, i mean i'm not defending americas administration but when you have crap, crapping on crap.
it's a crap shoot.
DirkDiggums
It's more amazing to me that Pence carrying empty boxes for PR purposes is so incredibly stupid that I would have believed it to be true. Sort of like how corona is raging through the white house right now while they are saying its perfect to go back out into society.
Paradoxed
And in true late-night host fasion, issued an arrogant non-apology for his fake story, insulting the dude he lied about in the same breath.