Old Kamala Harris footage manipulated to slow her speech
A video shared widely on X appears to show Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris slurring her words while describing herself as a "joyful warrior" in the final weeks of her election campaign against Republican Donald Trump. But the clip's speed has been slowed to falsely make the US vice president appear intoxicated.
"Drunk women trying to mask their addiction all sound exactly alike," says an October 19, 2024 post from James Woods, an American actor and supporter of former president Trump. "She’s so drunk I’m surprised she didn’t topple over mid-sentence."
Similar posts popped up across X as Harris and Trump made their final pushes for undecided voters before Election Day on November 5.
In the 30-second video, Harris appears to say in a drunken slur: "Never let anyone take your joy from you. I call myself a joyful warrior. Right? Never let anyone take your joy from you. You do what you got to do. And isn't that a wonderful way to live? To know you have purpose."
But the clip is altered -- the latest to falsely portray Harris and other Democratic lawmakers as intoxicated.
A keyword search for remarks involving Harris at the US embassy in the Philippines, whose name and seal appear behind her in the clip, surfaced the original White House footage from November 21, 2022 (archived here).
The remarks in question were part of the vice president's response to a question about advice for emerging leaders on staying motivated.
The White House footage shows it took her about 24 seconds to say the words highlighted online -- not 30 seconds. The altered version appears to play at approximately 75 percent speed.
Some conservatives and social media users panned the remarks at the time. Harris, however, has made similar comments about holding onto joy and being a "joyful warrior" since becoming the Democratic nominee.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about US politics here.