Kamala Harris social media account accused of posting misleading video clips
Social media accounts run by the Kamala Harris campaign have been accused of posting misleading video clips.
KamalaHQ, which boasts 2.2milllion followers across X and Instagram and bills itself as “providing context”, frequently shares posts highlighting controversial or inaccurate comments made by Trump and his team.
But the account, which the Harris campaign calls its “official rapid response page”, has been accused of sharing misleadingly clipped videos of Trump, 78.
Fact checkers at CNN found eight examples of misleading videos shared by the account since mid-August.
One clip suggested Trump was confused about where he was during a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in August.
The footage showed the Republican nominee standing behind a podium which says “text Pennsylvania”, turning to the right of the stadium, and saying: “Would that be ok, North Carolina? I don’t think so, right.”
Alongside the clip shared on 17 August, KamalaHQ wrote: “He is in Pennsylvania.” On Instagram, the account added: “Donald Trump is lost and confused.”
Trump: Would that be okay, North Carolina?
(He is in Pennsylvania) pic.twitter.com/TcymR609Rg— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 17, 2024
But footage from the rally shows that earlier in his speech, Trump had addressed several groups in the stands, including one from North Carolina who had attended hundreds of his rallies.
About 15 minutes later, Trump gestured in the same direction as he discussed the length of his rallies.
He said: “how would you like it... I walk in, speak for 15 minutes and leave? I don’t know, somehow. Would that be OK, North Carolina? I don’t think so, right? They want me to speak all day.”
An account run by the Trump team, called Trump War Room, reposted the clip shared by KamalaHQ, writing: “Wrong again, moron. President Trump was obviously referring to the Front Row Joes from North Carolina in the audience, whom he recognised earlier in his speech.”
Wrong again, moron. President Trump was obviously referring to the Front Row Joes from North Carolina in the audience, whom he recognized earlier in his speech. https://t.co/O2sdgH9fhl pic.twitter.com/Oqg1JpMQjW
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 17, 2024
Another post shared by the KamalaHQ account this week again suggested the Republican nominee had forgotten which state he was in.
It shared a clip of Trump speaking in Tucson, Arizona, where he says: “So Pennsylvania, remember this when you have to go to vote, okay, just remember this: 2,000 per cent increase.”
Meanwhile, the accompanying text on X highlighted Trump was in Arizona. On Instagram, text overlayed on top of the video read: “Trump forgets which state he is in (again).”
But the full footage shows the video had been clipped to omit Trump talking about the increase in the number of Haitian migrants in a Pennsylvania town.
He then said: “So Pennsylvania, remember this when you have to go to vote, okay, just remember this: 2,000 per cent increase, this is a small town; of all a sudden they got thousands of people.”
The misleading clips appear to be an attempt to draw attention to Trump’s age, which became Joe Biden’s biggest weakness on the campaign trail when he was the Democratic candidate.
In another post, KamalaHQ is accused of misleadingly clipping footage of Trump’s running mate JD Vance discussing unions.
The post, shared on 29 August by KamalaHQ, included a clip of Mr Vance saying: “Democrats want to attack Republicans as being anti-union and sometimes the shoe fits.”
But the full clip, taken from Mr Vance’s speech to the International Association of Fire Fighters union reveals his full comment was: “A lot of Democrats want to attack Republicans as being anti-union and sometimes the shoe fits — but not me, and not Donald Trump.”
The Harris campaign told CNN the post was a “direct quote of JD Vance” and is “clearly meant to convey that Vance acknowledges Republicans have a history of being anti-union.”
The Telegraph contacted the Harris campaign for comment.