Truth: This video has been edited. The original video showed the pair taking a picture in front of a poster referencing Mr Walz’s previous role as a high school football coach.
A video circulating on social media appears to show Democratic presidential candidate and current US Vice President, Kamala Harris, with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, posing for a selfie in front of a Revolutionary Communists of America poster.
But the sign has been digitally altered. The original footage shows it actually referenced Mr Walz’s past role as a high school football coach during his career as a school teacher.
Several media reports and photographs from an event on 9 August in Phoenix, Arizona, show Ms Harris and Mr Walz in front of two posters. The larger one has a brown background and says “Kamala and the Coach”. The other is smaller and reads: “Democrats protect abortion”.
In altered versions of the footage being shared on social media, these posters have been replaced with a red “Revolutionary Communists of America” sign and a smaller poster with several images of communist leaders. The original video appears to come from local journalist Brahm Resnik, who posted it on X on 9 August. The earliest version of the altered video Full Fact could find was posted a day later on 10 August and that user admitted in other posts that it was fake. In some versions being shared a small watermark next to the poster is visible.
The account’s bio mentions the Dilley Meme Team, which is a collective of online influencers which produce pro-Trump videos and images.
The altered video includes a watermark “Dilley Meme Team” in the bottom left hand corner, giving us another clue that the video has been altered.
False or misleading claims about politicians have the potential to harm individuals, groups and democratic processes and institutions.
Altered and manipulated videos and images are a common type of online misinformation. It’s important to consider whether something is genuine before sharing. Our guides to spotting misleading images and videos can help you to do this.
