On Monday, the White House responded to critics who have pointed to recent videos of President Joe Biden, claiming they show him as mentally unfit and physically weak, just under six months before the presidential elections where he is expected to face former President Donald Trump.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused some of the videos where Biden seems unresponsive or appears to wander of being altered to create what are called "cheap fakes".

So, what are cheap fakes, is Biden a victim, and how do they differ from deepfakes?

What are cheap fakes?

The term "cheap fake" was coined by Britt Paris and Joan Donovan, authors of Deepfakes and Cheap Fakes: The Manipulation of Audio and Visual Evidence.

Creators of cheap fakes take original footage and manually alter it – editing the visual content and sometimes removing important context.

• Minimal editing and simple technology are required. Techniques like slowing down or speeding up videos, cropping, or clipping part of the duration are used.
• These low-cost, easy-to-produce videos quickly go viral on social media, posing challenges for fact-checkers.

How are cheap fakes different from deepfakes?

Both mislead viewers, but they differ significantly.

• Deepfakes rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning to alter or fabricate entire videos from scratch, unlike cheap fakes that edit real videos.
• Because they use genuine footage, cheap fakes lack the AI indicators that deepfakes have, making them harder to spot as deceptive.
• The absence of AI elements makes it challenging to ascertain the manipulative intent behind cheap fakes, since regular people also edit their videos.

What was ‘fake’ about the Biden clips, per the White House?

A viral clip from the recent G7 summit in Italy shows Biden appearing to wander off during a sky-diving demonstration until Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni brings him back. The clip, posted by the RNC Research account on June 13, has raised questions.

The New York Post shared a similar video but cropped to exclude background context. They suggested Biden needed assistance to stay focused.

However, White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates clarified that Biden was briefly acknowledging another parachutist with a thumbs-up.

In another viral clip from the D-Day anniversary in France, Biden seems to sit down in a non-existent chair after shaking hands with French President Emmanuel Macron, labeled as the "invisible chair" incident. However, the clip was cut, and the full video shows Biden was simply settling into his seat before US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin took the podium.

Why is this coming up now?

Biden, the oldest serving US president, would be 86 at the end of a second term if re-elected in November. Despite Trump also being of advanced age, the former president has focused on portraying Biden as unfit for the role.

Although Biden’s team asserts he is in good health and fully capable of performing his duties, a poll from the New York Times/Siena College in March indicates 73 percent of registered voters believe Biden is too old to be effective, compared to 42 percent for Trump.

Have we seen cheap fakes in the past?

In 2019, a video of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was altered to make her appear inebriated by slowing down her speech.

Another instance happened in 2018, when a video of then-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was edited to show supportive chants, while the original had opposing chants.