Kamala Harris’ campaign recently shared a post on Truth Social from Donald Trump regarding a live interview with Elon Musk on X, where Trump claimed that “the complexity of modern-day equipment” caused his voice to sound “different and strange.”
However, the Harris campaign cut off the part of Trump’s post where he mentioned releasing a clearer version of the recording. This omission made it appear as though Trump’s explanation was an excuse for a poor interview performance, which the Harris campaign used to mock him on social media.
The exact reason for the odd sound quality during Trump’s interview remains unclear, as his campaign did not respond to inquiries about the issue or how it was resolved. By leaving out key information, the Harris campaign’s post shaped the narrative to make Trump’s explanation seem less credible. This tactic drew attention to how political campaigns selectively present information to their advantage, especially on social media.
This incident is part of a broader strategy employed by the Harris campaign to subtly manipulate narratives in their favor. For example, they have been buying Google search ads linking to real news articles, but with headlines written by the campaign that present Harris in a glowing light.
Although these ads link to actual news stories, the headlines create a misleading impression that the news outlets themselves wrote them. While this tactic is allowed by Google, it has raised concerns, with some news organizations objecting to their brands being misused.
On the other hand, Donald Trump has engaged in even more extreme narrative manipulation throughout his campaign. Recently, he falsely claimed that Harris “A.I.’d” a crowd at a rally and suggested that she changed her race as she aspired to higher office. These statements exemplify Trump’s frequent use of deceptive rhetoric, contrasting with Harris’ subtler, but still questionable, campaign tactics.
The Harris campaign’s use of modern social media strategies, including adopting popular aesthetics and informal language, raises questions about how information is presented and consumed online. The blurred lines between incomplete quotes and carefully edited content in political messaging highlight the challenges of maintaining fairness in the digital age. Despite the criticism, the Harris campaign has not commented on these tactics.
