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Here are the most viral falsehoods about Kamala Harris we've debunked

Here are the most viral falsehoods about Kamala Harris we've debunked

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Since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in August, she has become the subject of a series of false claims online.

Now, less than a week before Election Day, social media users continue to spread misinformation about Harris, from doctored images and videos to false claims about her policy proposals and her ethnic background.

Various polls show Harris and former President Donald Trump running neck-and-neck in key battleground states as the two candidates wrap up their final week of campaigning.

Here's a summary of checks on Harris from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team. We will publish a similar summary of the Trump-related claims on November 1st.

More from the Fact Check team: How we select and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Claim: Harris grew up in Canada, is not African American, and held black prisoners past their release dates

Our rating: Partially wrong

These claims exaggerate or distort reality. Harris spent most of her childhood in the United States before moving to Quebec at the age of 12 and completing high school there. While her mother is Indian and her father is Jamaican, she has long identified as Black, and the federal government counts people of Jamaican descent as Black or African American. The claim about prisoners misrepresents an argument made by lawyers in her California attorney general's office about the need for nonviolent offenders to fight wildfires.

Full fact check: Misleading claims about Kamala Harris' childhood and ethnicity

Claim: Video shows Harris saying Biden is 'unstable'

Our rating: Changed

The clip is edited to make it appear as if Harris is talking about President Joe Biden. The original footage shows Harris using the word “unstable” after the interviewer asked for her opinion on Trump's mental fitness.

Full fact check: Harris described Trump, not Biden, as “unstable” in the Fox interview.

Claim: Harris said in NBC interview she would not accept the election results

Full fact check: No, Harris did not tell NBC that she would refuse to accept the election results

Our rating: False

Harris said nothing of the sort during the interview. She said she had a team ready to respond if Trump prematurely declared victory in the presidential election, and she criticized Trump's unwillingness to accept the 2020 election results.

Claim: Image shows The Atlantic headline about Harris 'may have to steal an election'

Our rating: Changed

The image is an invention. The Atlantic said the headline was an altered version of a 2021 article titled “Kamala Harris Could Stop the Steal.”

Full fact check: The headline that Harris wants to steal the election is made up

Claim: The video shows Harris reading from the teleprompter during the Univision town hall

Our rating: False

Harris did not read her answers from the teleprompter, according to the president of Univision News and the town hall moderator. A report from Univision News showed that the text on the teleprompter was in Spanish and was intended to help the host introduce a participant.

Full fact check: Teleprompter was for the Univision anchor, not Harris

Claim: The IRS assisted Harris

Our rating: False

The IRS has made no such confirmation. The union representing IRS employees endorsed Harris but does not speak on behalf of the agency.

Full fact check: The union representing IRS employees endorsed Kamala Harris, not IRS itself

Claim: Harris visited the US southern border for the “first time” in September 2024

Our rating: False

Harris' trip to the US southern border in September 2024 was her second as vice president. The last time she visited the border was in 2021, when she traveled to Texas.

Full fact check: Harris visited the southern border of the United States twice as vice president

Claim: Video shows Harris slurring Helene's remarks

Our rating: Changed

The video was manipulated to slow down Harris' speech. Videos shared by the White House, C-SPAN and The Associated Press show Harris spoke normally.

Full fact check: The video of Harris slurring his Helene warning has been edited

Claim: Harris' down payment assistance plan excludes dependents of homebuyers

Our rating: False

Harris' campaign team says her proposal would provide down payment assistance of up to $25,000 for first-time homebuyers who have paid their rent on time for two years. There is no evidence that the program would be limited to people whose parents and siblings did not own their own homes.

Full fact check: Harris' new homebuyer plan does not exclude siblings and children of homeowners

Claim: Video shows Harris saying “next question” to avoid a CNN question about the economy

Our rating: Changed

The clip is deceptively edited. Videos and a transcript of the August interview released by CNN show that Harris did not ask the “next question” in response to CNN anchor Dana Bash's question about the economy. Harris made the comment at another point in the interview, in response to a question about her race.

Full fact check: Harris said the next question is about race, not economics

Claim: Video shows Mike Pence endorsing Harris for president

Our rating: Changed

The video was edited to shorten the beginning of former Vice President Pence's sentence and change the meaning of his statement. Pence did not support Harris in the video, saying he could not vote for her.

Complete fact check: Mike Pence endorsed Kamala Harris for president? No, the clip is manipulated

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USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to impartiality, fairness and transparency. Our fact-checking work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

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