Washington DC, United States

Democratic presidential candidate and United States Vice President Kamala Harris has found herself in a tricky situation as she faces criticism from social media users over a viral clip, in which she appears to be faking a phone call with a voter.

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Harris visited the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington DC, where staffers and organizers were phone-banking voters before the polls closed. She was seen carrying her favourite campaign trail snack, Doritos.

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In the viral video shared on X, Harris is seen on a phone call, talking with a voter.

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“I am well,” she said. “Have you voted already? You did? Thank you!”

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She appears to make another phone call and says, “It’s Kamala Harris – Waiting for you to grow 10 years more,” she said. “It’s so important, we have so much work to do.”

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While her supporters cheered, she waved her phone to them. Sharp-eyed netizens noticed the phone had a camera app open instead of a phone call, accusing her of staging the phone call.

The video went viral and sparked a wave of reactions from social media users who criticised and mocked her. The incident has a sparked debate about authenticity in political campaigning in the digital age.

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“It's so embarrassing if she were actually on a call, you would see the call screen with the caller ID on the iPhone” a user commented on X.

A second criticised her, “Is there anything real or authentic about this campaign?”

A third commented mocking her, “Not only is she fake, she's dumb. Showing the phone like that… what was she thinking!?”

Others defended her saying, “You can use the phone app and call and switch to the camera app while on a call. I just tried it. You can also talk on the phone while the camera app is running full screen.”

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Some argued that these criticisms distract from real issues and are unfairly targeting the vice president, “It’s ridiculous how the smallest thing gets blown out of proportion,” said a supporter on X. “Focus on her policies, not petty distractions.”

The video has gained over 1.2 million views on X.

Seemingly, in a bid to refute the claims, Harris posted the video on her X account along with the names of the people that she spoke to: "Hopped on the phone to speak with voters (and one future voter) today. Thanks for picking up my call, Jennifer and Sage! Help us get every last voter to the polls: http://calls.kamalaharris.com". 

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(With inputs from agencies)