Trump amplifies repurposed hoax about paid actors at Harris rally

Donald Trump reshared a post on Truth Social claiming Kamala Harris's campaign took out a Craigslist ad seeking paid actors to protest the Republican presidential nominee at her rally in the US state of Arizona. But the supposed listing, which includes inaccurate details for the Democrat's August 2024 event, is an altered version of an old hoax.

"Actors needed (Phoenix Convention Center)," says what appears to be a listing under the "talent gigs" section of the classified ads website Craigslist.

The text continues: "Actors/help needed for event tomorrow from 2-11pm. $15 per hour. Duties include protest activity and holding signs that are Anti-Trump. Minorities welcome and needed! Looking to fill about 500 spots."

The image rocketed across platforms such as X and Facebook before Harris and newly minted vice presidential candidate Tim Walz spoke to a packed arena in the crucial southern border state on August 9, 2024. Trump reshared one August 8 post to his more than 7.5 million followers on Truth Social.

"DEMOCRATS ARE PAYING PEOPLE TO SHOW UP AT HER SO CALLED RALLIES..." says text in the version Trump amplified.

Conservative actor Kevin Sorbo, who has previously spread misinformation, also shared the purported ad in a tongue-in-cheek X post about Harris's popularity.

The allegation comes as Trump adjusts to a presidential race upended by Joe Biden's decision to call off his reelection bid and endorse Harris. Trump, who has long boasted of his audience sizes, has falsely accused his Democratic opponent of using artificial intelligence technology to fake a picture of another crowd in Michigan.

There is no evidence the Craigslist ad is an authentic bulletin from the Harris campaign, either.

The vice president's rally in Arizona was at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale -- a more than 20-minute drive from the Phoenix Convention Center.

According to the Phoenix-area radio station KTAR, entry was limited to people with RSVPs who presented matching photo identification (archived here). The event listing said it would take place from 1-9 pm, a different timeframe than that listed in the supposed Craigslist ad (archived here).

The ad also does not appear under the "talent gigs" section of Craigslist for the central and south Phoenix area (archived here).

A Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson told AFP on August 14 the ad was "false" and the campaign "does not pay people to attend rallies, including the recent rally in Arizona."

Doctored version of old hoax

The purported ad is an altered version of an old image that has long circulated online, including ahead of the 2020 election.

Reverse image searches revealed earlier versions of the image called for actors to play the role of "Pro-Trump" protesters, not "Anti-Trump" protesters.

A search on archiving websites for the URL in the ad found a now-deleted Craigslist post seeking actors to portray "Pro-Trump" activists in August 2017, when Harris was a US senator.

AFP could not determine the authenticity or provenance of the bulletin, but the Trump campaign told the US fact-checking website PolitiFact in 2019 that it was part of a "recurring hoax."

A different Craigslist post that appeared in August 2017 claimed to offer actors $10 per hour to "hold pro-Trump signs, cheer on command and show diversity."

The Arizona Republic reported at the time that the specious offer had been repeatedly deleted and reuploaded, and that it was unclear who was behind it or whether it represented a legitimate opportunity (archived here). A Houston news station reported that a phone number attached to the listing belonged to a recent high school graduate who said he had nothing to do with it and was bombarded with profane calls.

AFP contacted Craigslist for comment, but no responses were forthcoming.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about the 2024 election here.