Kamala Harris is the target of a disinformation campaign
The Democrats are sending her against Donald Trump: Kamala Harris wants to become the first US President. A wave of disinformation has emerged around her candidacy. These fake news stories are circulating on social media:
Claim: Harris wants to reduce the US population
False. US Vice President Harris speaks at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2023 about climate protection. She makes a slip of the tongue: instead of "pollution" (environmental pollution), she says "population". This is evident from the official White House transcript, where "population" is crossed out and "pollution" is added in brackets. The context of the speech also makes it clear that the correct interpretation is about reducing environmental pollution. Harris explicitly mentions reducing pollution at two other points in her speech. In the preceding paragraph, she talks about economic measures to reduce emissions. She also says that greenhouse gas emissions should be halved by 2030. A White House spokesperson also confirmed to US fact-checkers in July 2023 that it was a slip of the tongue and that Harris meant "environmental pollution".
Claim: A widely circulated photo shows Harris with Jeffrey Epstein
False. The photo has been manipulated. A reverse image search reveals the original photo in the Getty Images database, taken on September 17, 2015 at an event in Los Angeles. It shows Harris with her husband Douglas Emhoff, not Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein's head has been added to the photo. The original photo is a police mugshot taken in 2006. Epstein was a US multimillionaire convicted of child abuse and accused of building a sex network. He died in his New York cell in 2019. The case gained worldwide attention because Epstein was well-connected to high-ranking circles. His relationships with prominent figures and his death led to numerous rumors and conspiracy theories. Epstein was often seen in public with stars and had contacts with former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, among others.
Claim: Harris speaks gibberish in a speech
False. A manipulated video is circulating on social media, showing Harris appearing confused and speaking words she never said. She supposedly says, "Today is today. And yesterday was yesterday today. Tomorrow will be tomorrow today..." However, this is a manipulated clip. The original video was broadcast on Facebook by a non-profit organization for the right to abortion on April 26, 2023. It shows an event at Howard University in Washington, DC the previous day, where Harris is speaking. A comparison of Harris' and the audience's gestures reveals that the clip uses a section of this speech from minute 61:02. The audio has been altered. In reality, Harris says something different at that point and speaks about leadership and where we stand in history. The official White House transcript also does not include the alleged "Today is today" quote.
Claim: Harris cannot run because of her parents' origin
False.
Incorrect. The parents' origin does not matter for the office of the US President. The Constitution only sets three requirements: candidates must be natural-born US citizens, at least 35 years old, and have lived in the US for at least 14 years. Vice President Harris meets these three criteria: she was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States. After her studies, Harris became the first black district attorney of San Francisco and later the first attorney general of California. Harris is the first woman and the first black person to hold the office of US Vice President. Her father immigrated to the US from Jamaica to study economics. Her mother, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist, came from India and met Harris' father in the US in the 1960s.
Despite the disinformation spreading on social networks about Kamala Harris, her intention to reduce the US population is false. TheClaim originates from a misconstrued quote from one of her speeches about reducing environmental pollution, which was clarified by the White House as a slip of the tongue.
Misleading claims about Kamala Harris associating with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child abuser, have also surfaced on social networks. However, a reverse image search reveals that the photo in question has been manipulated, with Epstein's head added to a photo of Harris with her husband.
