Fact Check: Was Joe Biden wearing a hard hat backwards? Viral picture sparks mass reactions online

President Joe Biden was derided online after Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) posted a photo on social media that, according to netizens, showed the commander-in-chief wearing a hard hat backwards. The photo was taken on Thursday, January 25, while Biden was meeting with Sen. Amy Klobuchar and union workers in Superior, Wisconsin.

Klobuchar's photo featured herself, the president, and a group of construction workers celebrating in a local barroom after Biden unveiled the administration's $5 billion infrastructure plan.

Shortly after, netizens flooded the post with comments roasting the president as multiple users alleged Biden was wearing a hard hat backwards. The Citizen Free Press’s X account posted:

“Joe Biden wearing a hard hat backwards while trying to be ‘one of the guys’ is so on brand.”

After comparing the image of the president with other pictures showing union workers with the hat, it appeared Biden was not wearing a hard hat backwards, as the bill of his hat was facing forward.

However, after further research reviewing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, we have to concede Biden was wearing the hat backwards.

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President Joe Biden wore the hard hat backwards

Recently, President Joe Biden became the target of intense online mockery after several social media users alleged he was wearing a hard hat backwards while posing with union workers in a photo posted by Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) reposted a Citizen Free Press post alleging the president was wearing the hat backwards and quipped that a Biden aide would be fired after the gaffe.

“Somewhere a staffer is updating their resume…,”

At first glance, it appears Biden was wearing that hard hat accurately, as the bill of the hat is facing forward. However, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) letter of interpretation dated 2002 said hard hats can have the bill facing backward if they've been re-configured by the manufacturer after meeting testing requirements in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z89.1-1969.

This was due to the workers complaining they couldn’t see suspended material loads with the bill facing the front. Therefore, OSHA revised its standards, saying the manufacturer should meet testing requirements in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z89.1-1969, and only then can the hat be re-configured with the bill facing backwards.

In Biden's case, it appears the hard hat was re-configured to have the bill facing backwards. According to Snopes, the suspension was also reversed, so the nape strap and tightening knob were under the bill of the hat. Based on this, we conclude that Biden was wearing the hat backwards as the brim of his hat was facing the front.

A picture posted by CBS affiliate WCCO showed a construction worker wearing the same hat with the bill facing the rear of his head. In the picture, the arrangement of stickers on top of the bill is similar to those on the hard hat Biden was seen wearing in the photo. This leads us to conclude that the president was wearing the hat with the bill facing forward, and it was an inaccurate way of wearing this hat.

Post by WCCO (Image via WCCO/X)

Post by CBS evening (Image via CBS evening/X)

According to multiple reports on Thursday, President Joe Biden appeared in Wisconsin to discuss an infrastructure bill as he seeks a second term as president this November. Biden posed for a picture with the union workers after the speech in Wisconsin, where he touted his middle-class credentials, saying he was raised in a three-bedroom home.

Note: We had previously reported that the claim that President Joe Biden was wearing his hard hat backwards is false. Our analysis was based on a US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation that requires hard hats to be worn with the bill forward.

This was due to the bill helping to protect the workers from small falling objects from overhead. Our assumption was further solidified by Snopes reports that alleged the same. However, after receiving feedback from readers insisting Joe Biden is wearing the hat backwards, we have to rectify our initial assumption upon further research.