Kamala Harris has been caught in an embarrassing Election Day gaffe after appearing to be on the phone with a voter, only to show the audience she was on her camera app instead.
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Kamala Harris has been caught in an embarrassing Election Day gaffe after appearing to be on the phone with a voter, only to show the audience she was on her camera app instead.
While at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, the gaffe fuelled allegations of a ‘fake’ political phone call after being handed a phone by a staffer.
As the phone was passed to Harris, she can heard be saying “Hi, how you doing?”, greeting the caller while introducing herself.
“I just came by to see if all [these] incredible people from every background who are all here voting make calls to reach out to our fellow Americans to remind you how important your vote is.
“Have you voted already?” she said into the phone.
She paused to hear the answer before responding: “You did, thank you!”
As the crowded listened intently, they began cheering at the back end of the call.
Harris then turned the phone around, possibly so the person reportedly on the phone could hear the crowd’s support.
However, when she turned the phone around the screen showed the camera app was open, instead of an active call.
Kamala Harris drops by a phone bank event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Election Day. However, she has been accused of staging a phone call after turning her phone around which showed the camera app on instead of an active phone call.
Media outlets captured the moment which beamed around the US and the world.
Another photo taken during her time at the Democratic Headquarters did show Harris on a call, but it is not known if it was the same call or even the same phone.
While it is possible to have the camera app open on a call, it usually occurs when the user has the call on speaker and is actively using the phone with their hands.
Viewers and critics were fast to jump on social media to point out the gaffe, with many claiming the phone call was “fake”.
“Kamala just pretended to talk to a voter on the phone but mistakenly showed that her phone was open to the camera app,” one viewer wrote on X.
“Everything about Kamala is fake”, the viewer accused.
Another wrote that “she got busted making a fake phone call to a ‘supporter’” and that “her campaign is a disaster”.
However, some people came to Harris’ defence claiming it is easy to accidentally open the camera app while on a phone call.
“No. Kamala Harris didn’t ‘fake a phone call’ just because you see a camera app.
“Try it, make a call, open camera, hold it to your cheek and remove it. You will see the screen activate/disactivate to prevent your cheek from dialing (like hers).
“iPhones only do this while you’re on a call.”
Harris took a number of other phone calls, with her media team capturing the moment she was on the line to two voters named Sage and Jennifer.
“I just wanted to call you and check in and make sure you know where you can go vote today if you haven’t already. Have you voted yet?” she said.
Jennifer then responded, telling Harris: “Oh my gosh, yes!”
“Thank you so very much and thank you for being active in participating in this very, very important process and this foundation of our democracy … We can’t do it without people like you,” Harris added.
She can then he heard speaking to eight-year-old Sage who wanted to say hello.
The moment was uploaded to Harris’ X channel.
The incident comes after Donald Trump was seen serving an apparent customer at a McDonald’s.
However, while the stunt appeared successful with the public, it turned out the McDonald’s restaurant Trump served at was actually closed to the public.
The customers served by Trump were pre-screened by the Secret Service, The Washington Post reported.
Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump works the drive-through line as he visits a McDonald's restaurant on October 20, 2024 in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. Photo / Getty
It is also alleged customers didn’t place an order but instead accepted whatever Trump gave to them.
