PBS Falsely Claims George H.W. Bush Was "Amazed" by Supermarket Scanner in 1992

Co-anchor Geoff Bennett perpetuates a long-debunked liberal media myth about the former president's reaction to new grocery technology.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

On Monday's PBS News Hour, co-anchor Geoff Bennett repeated a false claim that in 1992, then-President George H.W. Bush was "amazed" by a supermarket scanner, portraying him as out of touch with ordinary Americans. However, this myth was debunked years ago, as Bush was actually shown a new type of scanner that could weigh groceries and read damaged barcodes, not the standard technology. The New York Times reporter who originally pushed this narrative wasn't even present at the event.

Why it matters

This false narrative about Bush's reaction to the supermarket scanner has been used by the media for decades to portray Republican presidents as out of touch. Even though the story has been thoroughly debunked, PBS is still perpetuating this myth, highlighting the ongoing partisan bias in some media outlets.

The details

In the 1992 incident, Bush was shown a new type of grocery scanner that could weigh items and read damaged barcodes, not the standard technology. The New York Times reporter who wrote the original story about Bush being "amazed" by the scanner wasn't even present at the event. A transcript shows Bush had a "look of wonder" on his face, which was reasonable given the new technology he was shown.

  • In 1992, then-President George H.W. Bush visited a grocers' convention in Orlando, Florida.

The players

George H.W. Bush

The 41st President of the United States, who was the subject of the false media narrative about being "amazed" by a supermarket scanner in 1992.

Andrew Rosenthal

A reporter for The New York Times who wrote the original false story claiming Bush was "amazed" by the supermarket scanner, despite not being present at the event.

Geoff Bennett

The co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour who repeated the debunked myth about Bush and the supermarket scanner during a discussion about President Trump's tariffs.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“And there's a risk here for President Trump being cast as out of touch when you have the American people by and large saying that they're not — they don't support these tariffs. I remember, back in the early 90s, I think it was 1992, then-President George H.W. Bush was cast as being out of touch because he went to a grocers convention and there was one of those bar code scanners. And he said something like, oh, that's cool, I have never seen anything like that before. And people were like, how could you not know what a bar code scanner is in the supermarket? That was what passed for scandal and controversy back then.”

— Geoff Bennett, Co-anchor, PBS NewsHour (PBS NewsHour)

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing partisan bias in some media outlets, where false narratives about Republican presidents being out of touch are perpetuated even after they have been thoroughly debunked. It underscores the importance of fact-checking and holding the media accountable for spreading misinformation, even if it aligns with a particular political agenda.