In November 2024, a video of a US presidential candidate talking on the phone with a voter went viral on the Internet, but the camera application was open on the smartphone screen at the time. According to major Telegram channels and media, this video proves that there was no call. We have verified the accuracy of such publications.
On November 6, shortly after voting ended in the US election, a 13-second video of presidential candidate Kamala Harris talking on the phone with a voter was widely circulated online. He says that he has already voted for the politician. Harris thanks the supporter and shows the screen of the device on which the camera application is open at the time. Users distributing the video claim that Harris inadvertently confirmed that there was no conversation, and she was only pretending to communicate with the voter. Based on the video, some even conclude that the candidate’s entire election campaign was built on lies.
November 5 took place the main day of voting in the US presidential election. The current Vice President of the country Kamala Harris from the Democratic Party and former President Donald Trump from the Republican Party were vying for the post of head of state. Although the official election results not yet let down, victory, according to preliminary data, won Trump, who has secured the support of the 270 Electoral College members required for this. The day after the Harris polls closed admitted defeat and said she called her opponent, congratulated him and promised to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power.
The video circulating of Harris talking to a voter is genuine. It was published by the largest American television channels, news agencies and other media, for example NBC, PBC, Associated Press, Forbes And Republic World. Video clip removed on Election Day, November 5, at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. Harris was there to support the volunteers and help them call voters.
Telephone campaigning (phone banking) is a common practice in the USA. Campaign staff or volunteers who support a particular candidate or party call voters to tell voters about the election program, collect data on their opinions and preferences, and encourage them to vote. Calls continue and directly on election day to remind them to come to the polling station. This is exactly what, apparently, the volunteers whom Harris came to help were doing.
In the video, the candidate talks to voters on an iPhone. Phones of this brand allow you to call someone and take pictures at the same time - in the user manual, manufacturers clarifythat you can use any other application during a call. Also, a closer look at the video shows that as soon as Harris takes the phone away from his ear, the gadget’s screen goes dark, and the camera application opens after a couple of seconds. This dimming is typical for an iPhone operating in phone call mode or listening to audio messages - the device equipped a sensor that detects when the phone is brought to your ear and disables the touch screen. If you try to bring the device with the camera turned on to your face, but without making a call, it will continue to work in shooting mode, but the sensor will not activate.
Screenshots of the viral video
Although the video is genuine, it cannot be evidence that Harris faked the call. American media published much longerthan users of social networks and Telegram channels, video recordings, and they show that the politician actually talked to several voters at once, and volunteers handed her phones.
For example, in a video on the Forbes Breaking News YouTube channel, the vice president is seen approaching activists and offering to “intercept” their ongoing calls. Since Harris was accompanied by journalists, their microphones were able to partially record the votes of voters. For example, at mark 03:09 the interlocutor can be heard thanking the politician for her activities. Shortly before this, Harris turns to the camera while talking so that visible open call application with speaker turned on. Same scene repeats itself and towards the end of the video.
Screenshots of Forbes Breaking News video
The initially cropped video with misleading comments spread on the English-language segment of the social network X. In particular, it was published by pro-Trump accounts @EndWokeness (33.6 million views), @libsoftiktok (30 million) and @rawsalerts (6 million), as well as a conservative edition Townhall and (on YouTube) tabloid The New York Post. The video is accompanied by captions: the camera app on the iPhone allegedly turned on at the time of the call is evidence that the conversation with the voter was staged. According to bloggers, it is impossible to simultaneously talk on the phone and open the camera so that it works. “Everything connected with Kamala Harris is fake and staged,” sums up user @libsoftiktok, based on his false conclusion.
Screenshot of post in X
Thus, the video circulating on social networks cannot be evidence that Harris faked her call to a voter on the day of the US presidential election. The Apple smartphone used by the politician is capable of simultaneously being in call mode and opening the camera application. The fuller version of the video shows that Harris actually spoke on the phone with several voters during a visit to her campaign volunteers.
