A manipulated video is being spread on social media that shows California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the camera, with the left side of his face which appears to be distorted.
On 4th November, the underlying clip used to create the video was posted by Newsom and no such distortion to his face is visible on the same.
On 27th October, Governor of California, Gavin Newsom got the Moderna vaccine booster to protect himself further from COVID-19. The governor canceled a trip to Scotland for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26 after taking the booster.
The Associated Press stated he would be available at the gathering virtually, but staff had refused to remark on what led to the change of plans.
Certain people on social media had made suggestions that Newsom is having a negative reaction to the booster shot, along with the claims that he is struggling with Bell’s palsy or Guillain-Barré syndrome.
The tweet has been deleted since.
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The Question
Is the video of California Governor Gavin Newsom which shows that he is suffering from partial facial paralysis genuine?
The Verdict
No, the video that is being spread widely is manipulated to reflect partial facial paralysis. On 4th November, the original, un-doctored video was published to Newsom’s Twitter handle and does not reflect any paralysis.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office confirmed VERIFY over an email that Governor Gavin Newsom is not having any sort of adverse reaction to his booster shot.
What We Found
The video that alleged to show Newsom with mild facial paralysis was published by a Twitter user @mazemoore, who describes themselves as a digital artist and video editor. The handle has over 26,000 followers.
The original video was published on 4th November and was created for wishing a “happy Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas to all who celebrate.”
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The manipulated video clip comes from the first 10 seconds of the original video published from Newsom’s Twitter handle, which is of 1 minute, 19 seconds.
The subtitles, speech, clothing, and the flags visible in the background are similar. The sole difference is the manipulation of the image to reflect facial paralysis. The doctored video also includes a watermark of @mazemoore.
According to the confirmation made by the governor’s press secretary Daniel Lopez, Newsom had no negative reaction to the booster.
Lopez stated that Newsom has not taken any break from his work after receiving the booster but has been working with staff on other different matters.
“Last week Governor Newsom worked in the Capitol with staff on urgent issues including COVID-19 vaccines for kids, boosters, ports, the forthcoming state budget, and California’s continued economic recovery.
He will have public events this week related to the economy and vaccines,” Lopez mentioned in an email adding “The cancelation was not a result of his booster shot.”
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No Side Effects Seen in Public Appearance
On 9th November, Newsom had made a public appearance at the California Economic Summit and had no side effects appearing from the booster shot.
