No, NATO has not responded to the Texas border standoff

What is the claim?

A screenshot of a news article attributed to CBS News is circulating on social media platforms claiming that NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has activated its response team amid the ongoing border dispute between the Texan administration and the U.S. federal government. 

The headline in the screenshot reads, “NATO responds to Texas defying Biden's orders to ‘bend a knee.’" The article states that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is heading to the U.S. after liberal states expressed concerns about Texas' resistance against the U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, which might provoke similar actions in their states. 

Sharing the screenshot, one such video on TikTok (archived here) narrates, “This is scary, guys. This is them telling to activate U.N. soldiers in the United States because you want to stand up for your right to protect your country and your home. They said that ain't gonna happen.” Several other users have also shared the image (archived here, here, and here), claiming, “So it begins.” The image is also being shared on X with similar claims. Archived versions of the post can be viewed here, here, and here. 

Screenshot of the viral post being shared on social media. (X/TikTok/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What did we find?

A reverse image search of the screenshot led us to a post shared on iFunny, a humor-based website and social media platform consisting of memes. The viral image was shared on February 2 by the account ‘TheyOP.’ We analyzed the account and found that the handle regularly publishes posts criticizing Biden and his administration.

We further researched to determine the authenticity of the CBS article quoted in the posts and found no such article with the headline on its official website, cbsnews.com. 

The image of a truck used in the posts was indeed found in a CBS News video report dated February 28, 2022, titled, “NATO responds to Russian invasion of Ukraine.” We can spot the image at the 0:26 timestamp. The description stated, “NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will head to Poland and Estonia this week as countries close to the Russia-Ukraine conflict express security concerns. NATO activated its response team for the first time because of Russia's invasion."

Comparison between the image in the viral post and the CBS report. (Source: X/CBS News/Screenshot)

A comparison between the content used in the authentic CBS News report and the viral post reveals multiple similarities. For instance, the alleged article begins with “NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will head to,” which is the same as observed in the CBS report.

Moreover, if NATO had responded to the Texas border issue, it would have been documented on its official website, just like its statements regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, such news would have garnered substantial attention and been reported by numerous other media outlets. However, we found no other reports regarding NATO's involvement in Texas.

This confirms that the authentic image from CBS News has been manipulated to circulate false claims about NATO activating its responsive team amid the Texas border standoff.

Logically Facts has also contacted NATO and CBS News for clarification, the story will be updated as and when we receive a response.     

The verdict

The claim that NATO has responded to the Texas border issue is false and has stemmed from a humor-based website. Correspondingly, the article attributed to CBS News is also fake; therefore, we have marked the claim the post as fake.