DualHarris
Andrea Austria / Media Matters

Research/Study Research/Study

How manipulated video of Kamala Harris is fueling bizarre attacks on social media

Right-wing media figures have pushed unfounded claims that Harris is intoxicated at public events

Written by Jack Winstanley

Published

As they struggle to find attacks that will stick, right-wing media figures have revived unfounded claims that Vice President Kamala Harris has a drinking problem and has been intoxicated during public appearances.

Some social media users have even circulated a slowed-down video to make it seem like Harris was slurring her words and a cobbled-together montage of rally excerpts that they used to ask if she was drunk, earning over 2 million views. 

Jump to Section...

  • Right-wing media figures have been flailing in their attacks on Harris

    • Right-wing media figures have been trying to make their smears and attacks stick against Harris. From falsely claiming Harris lied about being a gun owner and repeatedly suggesting she and her running mate are communists to fixating on Harris’ laugh and lobbing misogynistic claims that she “slept her way to the top,” right-wing media figures have repeatedly lobbed baseless and sexist attacks at Harris. [Media Matters, 9/23/24, 9/12/24, 8/16/24, 8/1/24, 7/23/24]

  • Claims of drunkenness have previously been used to attack Harris and other Democratic women

    • Similar accusations of public intoxication or secret drinking problems have been levied against other prominent female politicians — notably former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Images of Clinton drinking, along with rumors of her having a drinking problem, were used to smear her as a “freewheeling good-time gal” and undermine her credentials. Pelosi was the subject of a number of manipulated videos edited to make it appear as though she was slurring her words, which some right-wing figures used to claim she was intoxicated during public events. [National Review, 5/1/18; The Washington Post, 11/3/16; Reuters, 8/3/20; CNN, 5/24/19]
    • Fox contributor Raymond Arroyo criticized Harris’ performance during a 2022 interview as “a PSA for your brain on drugs.” He also called Harris a “living Wordle” and added of comments she made, “None of this makes sense.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 10/11/22]
    • Fox News host Greg Gutfeld stated in 2023 that Harris sounds like “a woman at the bar on her fourth skinny margarita.” Gutfeld joked that Harris sounds like she has alcohol “in her bloodstream the whole time.” [Fox News, The Five, 3/16/23]
    • During a 2022 episode of Fox News’ Hannity, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine stated that Harris “looks like an extra out of an old Cheech and Chong movie.” Devine also said Harris looks like “some sort of a stoner” and was “speaking in complete nonsense.” [Fox News, Hannity, 3/22/22]
    • Newsmax host Greg Kelly speculated in 2021 that Harris “has a drug or alcohol problem,” reiterating later that “she might have a problem.” Guest Mark Simone, a conservative radio host, claimed that he’s been hearing Harris “is at happy hour quite a bit and happy hour starts about noon.” [Newsmax, Greg Kelly Reports, 11/10/21]

  • Right-wing media figures are claiming that Harris was or appeared intoxicated during recent public appearances

    • Fox radio host Jimmy Failla, appearing on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, stated that “there are days where I watch [Harris] and I legitimately think that she is drunk, but then there are these other days where I’m like, no way — she’s on pills.” Failla then rated Harris' performance during a campaign event a “P for ‘pills’ — that was a pill day.” [Fox News, Ingraham Angle, 9/17/24]
    • On his YouTube livestream ahead of the September 10 debate between Harris and Trump, Turning Point USA’s Benny Johnson claimed that Harris has “been in blackout mode, meaning I think she’s been drunk.” Johnson also suggested Harris would be drunk during the debate: “She might show up drunk. We’re not exactly sure.” Johnson also repeatedly mispronounced Harris’ name, playing into a long-standing racist attack against her. [YouTube, The Benny Johnson Show, 9/10/24; WHYY, 8/16/24]
    • On her show, former Trump Treasury official and Project 2025 contributor Monica Crowley questioned whether Harris is “impaired” through “Xanax or alcohol or whatever.” She went on to compare Harris and Trump, saying, “But you compare Kamala Harris being physically and mentally exhausted to the point where she can’t put a sentence together, even more so than usual, versus Donald Trump, who had all kinds of meetings in the morning, interviews in the morning, goes over does Gutfeld!, and keep in mind he is flying all over, doing rallies.” [Media Matters, 9/26/24; Rumble, The Monica Crowley Podcast, 9/19/24]
    • On Jesse Watters Primetime, Fox News contributor Joe Concha claimed that Harris’ interview with Oprah Winfrey was “like watching a Miss Teen USA pageant where, actually, the contestant is drunk.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 9/20/24]
    • An article for The Gateway Pundit claimed Harris “Heavily Slurs” in a “Bizarre 5-Minute Rant.” [The Gateway Pundit, 9/17/24]
    • On social media, far-right outlet Vigilant News claimed that Harris was “slurring her words” during an interview. The post, which contained a video highlighting an article from The Gateway Pundit speculating that Harris may have been intoxicated during an interview, added that the interview supposedly “has sparked rumors about Harris' sobriety.” [Twitter/X, 9/18/24]
    • Right-wing influencer Matt Wallace accused Harris of having “an unhinged drinking problem.” His post included video of Harris at an August rally, and he claimed that “you can hear the alcohol in her voice” and she “continues to slur and stumble on words during speeches.” Wallace also added that Harris supposedly “has been rumored for years to show up drunk to important meetings as VP.” [Twitter/X, 8/18/24]
    • Collin Rugg, a co-founder of conservative site Trending Politics, claimed that “everyone on X is calling [Harris] a drunk.” Rugg’s post included a clip from a Harris campaign rally, which he claimed was a “very confusing rant” in which Harris “repeats herself multiple times.” [Twitter/X, 8/18/24]
    • Terrence K. Williams, a right-wing comedian, claimed that “people are reporting Vice President Kamala Harris was drunk today at her Rally.” The post included video of Harris at an August rally. [Twitter/X, 8/15/24]
    • Nick Sortor, a self-described “accidental journalist,” speculated that Harris was drunk during a campaign event and that it could be “why they’re hiding Kamala Harris from the press.” Sortor included video of Harris at an August rally and added, “Is she drunk? Or is this just *her*?” [Twitter/X, 8/15/24; Media Matters, 3/1/23]

  • Right-wing accounts earned over 2 million views on social media with posts claiming Harris is intoxicated, including a slowed-down clip of her speaking at a September 20 rally

    • One video posted on TikTok showed Harris speaking at an event and asked, “What is wrong with this lady? Is she drunk????” The video has earned nearly 600,000 views, and other users responded to the video with comments including “definitely drunk” and “Omg drunk again.” [TikTok, 9/19/24, 9/19/24, accessed 9/30/24]
    • Another video posted on TikTok claimed, “This woman has showed up drunk again to another interview,” before playing a clip of Harris giving an interview. Text on the video also claimed that the host had to rush her off air. The video, which is labeled “Part 1,” has earned over 526,000 views, with “Part 2” and “Part 3” earning over 110,000 and nearly 230,000 views, respectively. “Part 4” earned over 16,000 views, and “Part 5” and “Part 6” earned over 75,000 and 21,000 views, respectively. [TikTok, 9/15/24, accessed 9/30/24]
    • An X user shared a TikTok video, which has been labeled “manipulated media,” claiming that Harris was “hammered” during the September 20 rally. According to X, the post has over 179,000 views. In the video, the TikTok user claims that “when this woman is sober, she needs notes to get through an interview,” adding, “She is absolutely sloshed.” USA Today, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters have all rated the video as “altered.” [Twitter/X, 9/22/24, accessed 9/30/24; USA Today, 9/24/24; Agence France-Presse, 9/23/24; Reuters, 9/24/24]
    • On X, a user shared the same apparently slowed-down clip of Harris’ September 20 rally, claiming, “Okay… That’s not a new accent but she sure does sound drunk!” The post, which was viewed over 260,000 times on X, was also shared by another X user, who claimed, “She's hammered..absolutely intoxicated.” [Twitter/X, 9/21/24, accessed 10/1/24, 10/1/24]
    • Another X user has apparently earned over 550,000 views on a post that shared a TikTok video of Harris’ September 20 rally, which a community note says was “digitally altered by slowing down the speed and lowering the pitch.” Another X user reposted the video and wrote, “I thought jokes saying she was drunk were just jokes. It's scary as all hell that it's entirely possible she's HAMMERED here.” Other users posted the same TikTok video, saying Harris has “the drunk accent,” and claiming, “She's is terrified to answer to all of her failures.” [Twitter/X, 9/22/24, 9/21/24, 9/21/24, accessed 9/30/24]
    • An X user shared a clip of Harris speaking at a campaign event with Oprah Winfrey, with the user claiming, “SHE IS FRIGGIN DRUNK OFF HER ASS!!” [Twitter/X, 9/20/24]