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?”
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).
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)