Fact Check: Debunking Viral Video Alleging Kamala Harris Was ‘Under Cocaine Influence’ During Interview
The heavily edited video emphasises moments Harris laughs, shows emotions, and touches her nose — actions the creator suggests signal drug use — during a 2019 interview.
The Verdict False
The video has been heavily edited. It vastly differs from the original version.
Context
A video allegedly portraying US Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as “under the influence” of cocaine has rapidly spread across social media (archived here).
It is accompanied by the statement, “Anyone who knows people who use cocaine can tell, she’s loaded in this video.” At the time of writing, the post has amassed 11.7 million views and 33,000 shares on X (formerly Twitter.)
This video, however, has been heavily edited and differs significantly from the original.
In fact
We identified the original footage through reverse image searches, an interview from 2019.
During this interview, Harris discussed her book, The Truths We Hold, with artist and activist Cleo Wade and answered questions. Watching the full interview reveals that Harris appears more light-hearted while narrating several episodes, such as the memory of meeting her in-laws for the first time. When answering more serious questions, she is more collected.
The heavily edited video, however, emphasises moments when Harris laughs, shows emotions, and touches her nose — actions the creator suggests signal drug use. Commenters quickly seized on these cues, notably the “nose wipe”, as evidence.
However, the unaltered version of the video shows she touches her nose far less frequently. Additionally, this behaviour may have a medical explanation.
On October 12, 2024, Harris released a medical summary that outlined her history of allergies and hives. The summary specifically noted her seasonal allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, which she manages with prescribed medications, including a nasal spray. Her allergies are mild and well-controlled, but they may account for the occasional nose-touching seen in the video.
Given the unedited video, the context surrounding her laughter, and her documented health conditions, there is no basis to assert “with certainty” that Kamala Harris was under the influence of drugs in this video.
The verdict
Viewing the complete video in context, alongside Harris’ documented history of allergies, provides no grounds to assert with certainty that she was “under the influence”. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.
This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.
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