U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to supporters during a campaign rally in Romulus, Michigan, USA, August 7, 2024.
Rebecca Koch | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday falsely accused his November election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, of using artificial intelligence to fake images of crowd sizes at her rallies, amplifying a baseless conspiracy theory to explain the widespread enthusiasm for the new Democratic slate.
“Did anyone notice that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was no one on the plane and she piloted it using artificial intelligence and showed a huge 'crowd' of so-called supporters BUT THEY DIDN'T EXIST!” the Republican presidential candidate wrote on Truth Social.
Trump was referring to an image of a large crowd gathered on the tarmac in Michigan on August 7 cheering Harris as she stepped off Air Force Two. His comments parrot a false conspiracy being spread online by Republican MAGA commentators, some of whom have been caught spreading misinformation before.
The Harris campaign responded that it was “a real photo of a 15,000-strong crowd for Harris-Walz in Michigan.” CNBC also licensed a photo from Getty Images for the story that matches the photos circulated.
People cheer and hold signs at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz on August 7, 2024 in Romulus, Michigan.
Katie McTiernan | Anadolu |
The Harris team also used the opportunity to point out the contrast between Harris' campaign schedule last week and Trump's: “Trump still hasn't campaigned in a swing state in over a week…Low energy?”
Trump's false accusation comes in the midst of a campaign in which enormous advances in AI tools have made it easier to spread misinformation, making it harder than ever for voters to distinguish reality from internet conspiracy.
Trump's spreading of the false conspiracy was just one of several tirades he launched against Harris on social media this weekend.
On Saturday, he accused Harris of copying his proposal to abolish the tip tax, which she announced at her rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. Trump made the same promise at his own rally in Las Vegas in June.
″[Harris] has no imagination whatsoever, as evidenced by the fact that she played 'copycat' with “NO TAXES ON TIPS!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday night.
Trump's outrage on social media reflects a Republican presidential campaign struggling to regain its footing after Harris' campaign upended the race.
In the three weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, donations to Democrats have flowed at record levels. Harris' rallies regularly draw thousands of attendees.
Last week, the Harris campaign team launched a tour of seven swing states across the country, part of the coordinated campaign of Harris's vice presidential running mate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
This campaign pace is considerably faster than what voters experienced when Biden led the electoral roll.
It also draws a stark contrast between Harris's back-to-back rallies and Trump's lighter schedule this month.
Trump has held two rallies and several fundraisers so far in August.
He recently said he does not plan to increase his campaign travel ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which runs from August 19 to 22.
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