False, misleading claims about Kamala Harris surge as election nears | Fact check roundup

Since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in August, she's been the subject of a variety of false claims online.

Now, with less than a week to go until Election Day, social media users have continued to share misinformation about Harris, from altered images and videos to false claims about her policy proposals and ethnic background. And she has made false and misleading claims as well, including in a debate when she misrepresented a SCOTUS ruling on former President Donald Trump, mischaracterized Trump's use of the word "bloodbath" and wrongly described Project 2025's abortion initiatives.

Various polls show Harris and Trump are neck-and-neck in the key battleground states as the two candidates wrap up their final week of campaigning.

Here's a roundup of checks about Harris from the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team. We'll publish a similar roundup of Trump-related claims Nov. 1.

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Claim: Harris was raised in Canada, is not African-American and held Black prisoners past release dates

Our rating: Partly false

These claims exaggerate or misstate reality. Harris spent most of her childhood in the U.S. before moving to Quebec at age 12 and staying through high school. While her mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican, she has long identified as Black, and the federal government counts people of Jamaican ancestry as Black or African American. The claim about prisoners mischaracterizes an argument made by attorneys for her California Attorney General’s office about the need for nonviolent offenders to help fight wildfires.

Full fact check: Misleading claims about Kamala Harris' childhood, ethnicity

Claim: Video shows Harris saying Biden is 'unstable'

Our rating: Altered

The clip is edited to make it appear that Harris is talking about President Joe Biden. The original footage shows Harris using the word "unstable" after the interviewer asked for her thoughts on Trump's mental fitness.

Full fact check: Harris called Trump, not Biden, 'unstable' in Fox interview

Claim: Harris said she wouldn’t accept election results in NBC interview

Full fact check: No, Harris didn't tell NBC she'd refuse to accept election results

Our rating: False

Harris said no such thing during the interview. She said she had a team ready to respond if Trump were to prematurely declare victory in the presidential election, and she criticized Trump’s unwillingness to accept the 2020 election results.

Claim: Image shows headline from The Atlantic about how Harris 'may need to steal an election'

Our rating: Altered

The image is a fabrication. The Atlantic said the headline is an altered version of a 2021 article titled "Kamala Harris Might Have to Stop the Steal."

Full fact check: Headline about Harris needing to steal election is fabricated

Claim: Video shows Harris reading from teleprompter during Univision town hall

Our rating: False

Harris didn't read her answers from the teleprompter, according to the president of Univision News and the town hall moderator. A report from Univision News showed the text on the teleprompter was in Spanish and was meant to help the moderator introduce an attendee.

Full fact check: Teleprompter was for Univision moderator, not Harris

Claim: The IRS endorsed Harris

Our rating: False

The IRS did not make any such endorsement. The labor union representing IRS employees endorsed Harris, but it does not speak on behalf of the agency.

Full fact check: Union representing IRS employees endorsed Kamala Harris, not IRS itself

Claim: Harris visited US southern border for ‘first time’ in September 2024

Our rating: False

Harris’ trip to the U.S. southern border in September 2024 was her second as vice president. She last visited the border in 2021 when she traveled to Texas.

Full fact check: Harris has visited US southern border twice as vice president

Claim: Video shows Harris slurred words in Helene remarks

Our rating: Altered

The video was manipulated to slow Harris' speech. Videos shared by the White House, C-SPAN and The Associated Press show Harris spoke normally.

Full fact check: Video of Harris slurring words in Helene warning is edited

Claim: Harris’ down payment assistance plan excludes relatives of homebuyers

Our rating: False

Harris’s campaign has said her proposal would provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers who paid their rent on time for two years. There is no evidence the program would be limited to people whose parents and siblings haven’t owned a home.

Full fact check: Harris new homebuyer plan doesn't exclude siblings, children of homeowners

Claim: Video shows Harris said 'next question' to avoid CNN question on economy

Our rating: Altered

The clip is deceptively edited. Videos and a transcript of the August interview posted by CNN show Harris did not say "next question" to CNN anchor Dana Bash's question about the economy. Harris made the remark at a different point in the interview, in response to a question about her race.

Full fact check: Harris said 'next question' to query on race, not economy

Claim: Video shows Mike Pence endorsing Harris for president

Our rating: Altered

The video was edited to cut the start of former Vice President Pence’s sentence and change the meaning of his statement. Pence did not endorse Harris in the video, he said he couldn't vote for her.

Full fact check: Mike Pence endorsed Kamala Harris for president? No, clip is doctored

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(This story was updated to add new information)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here are the most viral falsehoods about Kamala Harris we've debunked