Reuters confuses Buttigieg with O’Rourke in photo about ex-candidate backing Biden

The field of candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s 2020 nominee has been extremely crowded, so you could be forgiven for at times confusing some of those involved, as news agency Reuters appeared to in a tweet sent Tuesday.

Sharing a link to a report about Joe Biden meeting with some of his ex-rivals for the party’s presidential election nod, the text said he and Pete Buttigieg “unite to stop [Bernie] Sanders” – but the image was of Texan Beto O’Rourke, not the ex-mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

The article itself makes it clearer that O’Rourke also caught up with Biden at a fast food restaurant in Dallas, but the headline and opening paragraphs focused on Buttigieg’s meeting with the former vice president at a different venue. 

Twitter users were confused by the juxtaposition of the Buttigieg line and the photo of Biden with O’Rourke, as one joked that “Pete looks a lot like Beto.” 

Some played on the former vice president’s propensity for gaffes, asking“Was this headline written by Joe Biden himself?” while several others were more annoyed at the tweet mentioning a “chicken joint” but showing a photo taken at a burger chain. 

The Reuters tweet has since been deleted.

Buttigieg – and O’Rourke’s – endorsement for Biden came on the eve of Super Tuesday, with 14 states set to vote in their Democratic primaries. Amy Klobuchar, who officially ended her run for the party nomination on Monday, also gave the former vice president her backing.

Biden’s presidential push has been bolstered by a recent win in the South Carolina primary, but he still trails frontrunner Sanders by six delegates to date.

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