Karl Rove refutes claims that he is 'rallying support' for Harris

Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have touted endorsements from members of the opposite party in the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election. However, veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove has not appeared at an event to support either candidate, contrary to online claims that he was in the swing state of Pennsylvania to back the Democratic vice president -- and a video cited as proof predates her candidacy.

"Karl Rove was rallying support for Kamala Harris yesterday in Pennsylvania," says an October 15, 2024 Threads post with thousands of interactions.

The post includes a video of former president George W. Bush's senior adviser condemning the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

<span>Screenshot from Threads taken October 16, 2024</span>
Screenshot from Threads taken October 16, 2024

The same claim has spread elsewhere on Threads, X, Facebook and Rumble. Several public figures, including technology pundit Kara Swisher and American author Scott Galloway, amplified the posts.

With early voting underway in multiple states ahead of the November 5 election, Harris has rounded up support from several high-profile Republican Party figures, including former vice president Dick Cheney. Meanwhile, ex-Democrats such as former US representative Tulsi Gabbard have appeared alongside Trump on the campaign trail.

Rove, who writes a column for The Wall Street Journal and regularly appears on Fox News, has criticized both Harris and Trump ahead of the presidential election and has refrained from publicly endorsing a candidate in the race.

Rove refuted claims that he is organizing support for Harris in an October 15 X post, saying he had not been in Pennsylvania since September and is not involved with the Democratic nominee's campaign (archived here).

"I have not been rallying for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania or anywhere else nor organizing any state for her," Rove said.

<span>Screenshot from X taken October 16, 2024</span>
Screenshot from X taken October 16, 2024

A spokesperson for Fox News also said in an October 16 email that the posts are "inaccurate" and that Rove has not endorsed Harris.

Dated footage

reverse image search using keyframes from the video shows it comes from a February 2024 panel interview featuring Rove at the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival in California -- around five months before Harris launched her presidential bid. MSNBC broadcasted footage of the event in early April (archived here and here).

In the interview, Rove lambasted Trump for saying he would pardon some people who were convicted after the January 6 Capitol riot if elected.

"And one of the critical mistakes made in this campaign is that Donald Trump has now said, 'I'm gonna pardon because they're hostages.' No, they're not -- they're thugs," Rove said at the event.

The posts claiming Rove is openly supporting Harris are the latest in a string of false endorsements, including an edited video of former vice president Mike Pence saying he is backing the Democratic nominee.

Find more of AFP's reporting on misinformation about the presidential election here.