Kamala Harris’ debate earrings trigger conspiracy theories among Trump supporters
What’s the frequency, Kamala?
Some conspiracy-minded supporters of former President Donald Trump have claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris got secret — and unfair — help in her Tuesday night debate against the Republican nominee.
The theory goes like this: Harris’ earrings contained a clandestine Bluetooth device that enabled her to be coached by unseen aides during the ABC News forum in Philadelphia, in flagrant violation of the rules set out by the Disney-owned network.
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Some Trump supporters pushed conspiracy theories about Kamala Harris receiving secret help for the debate. AFP via Getty Images
One X user dubbed The Maverick Approach, a self-described “alternative news source,” peddled a claim early Wednesday that Harris had been fitted with a pair of smart earrings developed by NOVA, a German company.
“There’s a major issue with this debate,” they posted. “I told myself she was fed what to say during the debate and my hunch was right. Nova is the world’s first and only wireless earphone earrings.”
However, the NOVA H1 Audio Earrings look very different than the ones that Harris donned during the verbal bout, except for the fact that both include pearls.
The veep’s actual earrings appeared to be a gold version of the Double Pearl Hinged Earrings from Tiffany & Co, which is not known to include electronics in its luxury jewelry.
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The vice president’s earrings looked similar to the Double Pearl Hinged Earrings from Tiffany & Co. Tiffany
The clip-on NOVA H1 Audio Earrings sell for about $625 apiece and are able to “project sound from inside the pearl straight into your ear canal,” according to its Kickstarter page, which appears to have been dormant since last year and includes comments suggesting people hadn’t received the product despite chipping in cash.
“These Earrings are fully packed with the latest technology embedded in real pearls to provide you with music, phone calls and digital assistants all day long,” the site added.
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The NOVA smart earrings, which were crowded funded on Kickstarter. NOVA/Icebach Sound
In the past, Harris has bashed Bluetooth earpieces as a security threat and has been spotted using wired earbuds on the campaign trail.
Despite the evidence, the theory was amplified in the r/conspiracy Subreddit and widely disseminated on social media.
The Maverick Approach’s post quickly notched nearly 100,000 views before they appeared to concede the hoax.
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The smart earrings look different than the ones that Kamala Harris wore Tuesday. NOVA/Icebach Sound
“I can’t believe how easy it is to troll and get everybody worked up,” The Maverick Approach later wrote on X.
“This is how politicians do it. FYI she was terrible and was terrible all on her own. She didn’t need any help with that! If she did have an earpiece, that’s even worse the fact she had help and still loss [sic].”
In both the 2020 and 2016 election cycles, similar theories spread on social media claiming President Biden and Hillary Clinton were using earpieces during their debates against Trump.
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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris met in person for the first time on the debate stage Tuesday evening. AFP via Getty Images
Fact-checking websites quickly shot down those bizarre claims.
Wednesday morning, Trump himself suggested that Harris had received advance knowledge of what would be discussed.
“They had a rigged show with somebody that maybe even had the answers,” the 78-year-old told “Fox & Friends”. “I mean, I’ll be honest, I watched her talk and I said, ‘You know, she seems awfully familiar with the questions.”
