Pedro Sánchez misinformation: Viral Andorra photo is from 2024

A photograph of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife, Begoña Gómez, in Andorra has been circulating on social media under false pretenses. The image, which shows the couple seated in a television chair, was being shared as evidence that Sánchez was vacationing in the Principality during a migration crisis in Ceuta.

Fact-checking reveals the image is not current; it is a frame from a video published by La Sexta on August 31, 2024, when Sánchez attended the mountain biking World Championships. Several members of the Partido Popular, including deputies Rafael Hernando, Jaime de Olano, and Rafael Núñez Huesca, shared the decontextualized image. Núñez Huesca later acknowledged the photo was from 2024.

The misinformation coincided with reports that Sánchez had a private trip to Andorra planned for the current weekend, which was ultimately canceled following a leak of information. While the trip was originally scheduled, the viral image used to suggest he was already there was outdated.