Kamala Harris’ earrings spark wild conspiracy theory during debate

Daily News Article   —   Posted on September 12, 2024

(by Samantha Sutton, NY Post) – Kamala Harris’ earrings are sure making a statement — but not in the way you might think.

Taking the stage for Tuesday night’s debate against former President Donald Trump, the Democratic nominee and current vice president sported a sleek, dark-colored suit styled with a white blouse and an American flag pin.

However, it was one fashion choice in particular that soon became a topic of conversation on social media.

While Harris completed her look with a classic pair of Tiffany & Co. earrings, which are made of 18K gold and feature South Sea Pearls, some Trump supporters speculated that they were actually tiny earpieces feeding her answers to questions throughout the night.

“It appears Kamala Harris was being coached by using earphones embedded in her earrings during the ABC presidential debate against President Trump,” one pro-Trump account theorized on X (formerly Twitter).

The conspiracy post — which has garnered over 10,000 likes and 5,000 retweets — showed a close-up of Harris’ jewelry alongside a photo of the “NOVA H1 Audio Earrings,” audio earrings that were sold on Kickstarter last year and claim to be the “only wireless earphones embedded in a pair of pearl earrings.”

“This earring has audio transmission capabilities and acts as a discreet earpiece,” added another X account, using photos to show the similarities between the Tiffany earrings and the NOVA H1 design.

A third post on X shows a pair of images that place the Nova H1 Audio Earrings side-by-side with a screen capture of Harris during the debate, highlights the rapidly circulating claims, stating “Rumors are circulating that Kamala Harris was wearing audio earrings and being fed lines. Isn’t this against the debate rules?”

[Laptop Mag responded to this post with: “According to ABC News’ rules for the September 10 presidential debate, both candidates were expected to ‘stand behind podiums for the duration of the debate and no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage,’ which would suggest the forbidding of earpieces.”]

While the designs are clearly different upon inspection, a quick look back at Harris’ outfits also makes this theory fall apart.

The presidential candidate has worn the same Tiffany pearl earrings multiple times in the past, even pairing them with a Graduated Link Necklace ($18,500) from the same collection.

Harris notably accessorized with the combo back in June 2024, while attending a Juneteenth celebration at the White House. …

[Laptop Mag, in an article where they posted the above, also noted:”While it’s possible to claim that the earrings may have been modified, with the Nova H1’s frame being swapped out, it’s this part of the device that houses the electronics, which would leave only the pearl behind.”

And added the disclaimer, “Laptop is a non-partisan publication seeking to apply insight and avoid any potential spread of disinformation following a surge in readers to an article about Nova H1 Audio Earrings originally published in January 2023.”] [Newsweek notes:  The clip-on Nova H1 Audio Earrings, according to the startup’s Kickstarter page, “are placed on the earlobes and project the sound from inside the pearl straight into your ear canal.” It adds that “two tiny high-end microphones are integrated into each Earring providing the user with crystal clear phone calls and wind-noise cancellation.”

Debuted at CES [Consumer Electronics Show] in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2023, these Bluetooth wearables have “directional sound” that allows for privacy. “Any audio output is absolutely private; so you are the only one hearing your conversations and music,” says the product description on the Kickstarter page.

Published at the NY Post (with Newsweek).


Questions

1. What have some social media users asserted about the earrings Kamala Harris wore during Tuesday night's debate with Donald Trump?

2. Why have they made these speculations?

3. Define the terms conspiracy theory and debunk.

4. What evidence does the reporter provide to debunk the theory?

5. Read some reader comments. Write agree or disagree for each one. Discuss your answers.

Defending VP Harris:

  • "MAGA scrambling to find any excuse to defend Trump's horrible debate performance when it's simply that Kamala Harris is vastly more intelligent and competent than Trump could ever be."
  • "Are you kidding me!!! That is the most stupidest theory I have ever heard!"
  • "Harris beat Trump fair and square. This whole earring thing is to have him save face. Trump was caught off guard - he did not expect all of that from her - not by a long shot."

Questioning the validity of the conspiracy theory label:

  • "Odd, I didn't see this "conspiracy theory" investigated and proven false. Only that claims like this happened before.
    We also know that CNN gave Hillary the questions in advance before also. So, cheating by Democrats is well documented.
    UNLESS YOU INSPECTED THOSE EARRINGS, YOU CAN NOT CLAIM IT'S FALSE."

And several who don't address the earpiece theory, but think the vice president was given the questions ahead of time:

  • "Yes, there was a point in the debate where Harris was talking very, very fast using many words. It was as if she memorized the answer and was reciting it before time ran out."
  • "This was not a debate and everyone knows it. Kamala was given the questions, had government and ABC lawyers prepping her, had the two ABC operatives working as "moderators", and was able to bring up hoax after hoax, and lie after lie. Trump's only mistake is agreeing to it.
  • "This is a woman that won't give a live press conference and you think she spoke off the cuff last night? I agree, Trump should have prepared better - but at least he has some plans on what & how to make stuff happen; what does she have - word salad and nothing with details. Unrealized capital gains.....that says it all."

6. What do you think:
a) Is it at all plausible that the Harris campaign would use some type of hidden communication device during the debate?
b) Is it at all plausible that ABC News would give the Harris campaign the questions before the debate?
c) Are the people making these claims conspiracy theorists?
Explain your answers.


Background

This is not the first time conspiracy theories have circulated about hidden communication devices during presidential debates. Similar claims were made about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, specifically after a televised forum called the Commander-in-Chief Forum on September 7, 2016.

Some conservative websites and social-media users circulated images they said showed Clinton wearing an earpiece during this event. Liberal fact-checking websites PolitiFact and Snopes examined and dismissed claims that a flesh-colored earpiece could be seen in Clinton's ear.

[CNN contributor and DNC chair Donna Brazile giving Clinton certain topics/questions ahead of time.]

There was also a claim circulating during the 2020 presidential election campaign that President Joe Biden wore a hidden earpiece during a debate. This emerged before the first presidential debate between Biden and Donald Trump on September 29, 2020. Some conservative media figures alleged that the Democrat used a hidden earpiece to receive answers or coaching during the debate.

However, there was no evidence to support this. Biden's campaign strongly denied the claim, calling it "completely absurd." The Commission on Presidential Debates also stated that neither candidate was permitted to wear an earpiece during the debate.  (from Newsweek, Sept. 11, 2024)