Harris campaign shares misleading Trump Pennsylvania rally video, Internet says 'can't win without lying'

WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA: Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign faced quite a backlash on social media after they attempted to portray former president Donald Trump as confused during a rally in Pennsylvania.

While addressing a crowd in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Trump, mentioned North Carolina, which some, including Harris’ campaign, took as a sign that the former president had forgotten his location.

Kamala Harris' campaign promotes misinformation

On Saturday, August 17, Donald Trump addressed a crowd at a rally in Pennsylvania. During his speech, he shouted out to North Carolina, leading some critics to speculate that the former president might have forgotten where he was.

This speculation arose particularly after Trump had earlier admitted to veering off-script to take a dig at President Joe Biden. In his speech, Trump was reflecting on the length of his public addresses compared to those of Biden. He humorously commented on how his supporters demand more extended speeches, whereas Biden’s are notably shorter.

Trump stated, “They have a tent, and the tent is set up. They have hundreds of them, and they wait. And then I walk in and speak for 15 minutes and leave. I don’t know... Would that be okay, North Carolina?” This comment, made in Pennsylvania, was the basis for the controversy.

Seizing the moment, Harris’ campaign quickly moved to capitalize on what they perceived as a gaffe.

The official campaign account, Kamala HQ, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to post a selectively edited clip from Trump’s speech, captioning it, “Trump: Would that be okay, North Carolina? (He is in Pennsylvania).” The implication was clear: Trump had supposedly forgotten where he was speaking.

The truth behind Donals Trump’s remarks and social media backlash

However, this narrative was swiftly debunked. Donald Trump’s mention of North Carolina was not a blunder; rather, it was directed at a specific group of supporters from North Carolina who were present at the rally in Pennsylvania. These supporters, a group of married women who have attended over 200 Trump rallies, were introduced earlier in the speech.

Trump had acknowledged them by saying, “I have another group from North Carolina. We love North Carolina.” This context was surreptitiously omitted in the clip shared by Harris’s campaign, leading to accusations of dishonesty and manipulation.

The misleading portrayal by Harris’s campaign did not go unnoticed. Social media users were quick to criticize the Vice President and her team for spreading what many perceived as misinformation.

"Kamala lied again? I don’t think anyone is shocked," one social media user posted on X.

"How can they get away with lying this much? What isn't the legacy media calling them out? It's too blatant to ignore," another wrote.

"He was talking about a group of married ladies from North Carolina who have been to over 200 rallies. He introduced them earlier in the speech," one person said.

"The same people that defended Biden's obvious mental decline are now creating lies to illustrate Trump's (nonexistent) mental decline," someone else added.

"They can’t win without lying," read one comment.

"Always banking on their supporters not to follow up and inform themselves … which is why we still see some peddling the Russia hoax, fine ppl hoax, inject bleach hoax etc. Do your own research, these ppl are liars," read another comment.

Donald Trump's criticism of Kamala Harris

In addition to addressing the misinformation, Donald Trump used the rally to continue his criticisms of Kamala Harris and the Joe Biden administration. He particularly focused on economic issues, linking Kamala Harris to the inflation problems that have plagued the current administration.

Trump criticized Harris’s recent proposal against price gouging, comparing it to policies seen in communist regimes. He warned that a federal ban on price gouging for groceries would lead to dire consequences, including food shortages, rationing, and hunger.

“Day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago. So why didn’t she do it then? So this is day 1,305,” Trump quipped.

He promised that if elected, he would take swift action to tackle high prices, but in a way that aligns with capitalist principles, not communist ones. “We’re going to drive them down in a capitalist way, not in a communist way,” he asserted.

Trump’s speech, as usual, was marked by his characteristic digressions and improvisations. He touched on various topics, including the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and even did an impression of French President Emmanuel Macron.

He also addressed how his spontaneous speaking style is often portrayed in the media, defending himself by saying, “They will say he’s rambling. I don’t ramble. I’m a really smart guy. I don’t ramble.”

The former president didn’t miss an opportunity to take jabs at Harris’s public persona, criticizing her laugh and describing her as "not a very good wordsmith." He also mocked the names of CNN anchors who moderated a debate between him and Biden.

Trump then turned to Harris’ recent appearance on the cover of Time magazine, where he humorously compared her image to those of classic Hollywood icons Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor.

Taking it a step further, he cheekily remarked, “I am much better looking than her. I’m a better-looking person than Kamala,” drawing laughter from the audience, CBS News reported.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.