Video altered to make Kamala Harris appear intoxicated during speech | Fact check

The claim: Video shows Kamala Harris slurring her words while drunk during a speech

A Sept. 22 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes a video of Vice President Kamala Harris speaking slowly and stuttering in front of an audience.

“And This is What Democratic Supporters Want To Run This Great Nation,” on-screen text in the video reads. “She is hammered. This is insane!”

The post was liked more than 1,000 times in two days. Similar versions of the claim were also shared on Instagram.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: Altered

The video was edited to slow down Harris' speech. Original footage shows her speaking normally. There is no evidence to support the claim she was drunk.

Multiple videos show Harris speaking normally

The Instagram post features a clip of Harris on stage Sept. 20 in Atlanta, where the Democratic presidential nominee spoke about abortion rights. While the speech did happen, the clip of it in the post is slowed down significantly when compared to unaltered footage.

In the clip, Harris says, “You know, on the other side of my -- you know, the other folks, Trump and his running mate. And they'll talk about, 'Oh, well yeah, but I, you know I do believe in the exception to save the mother's life.' OK, all right, let's break that down, shall we?”

In the Instagram post, the moment lasts about 30 seconds. Yet the same moment only lasts about 20 seconds in footage shared by C-SPAN, the Harris campaign and a pair of TV stations. Harris briefly lowers her voice and changes her speech pattern in an apparent attempt to mimic former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, but otherwise has normal cadence and inflection. There is nothing abnormal about her manner of speaking throughout the rest of the speech.

Fact check: Diddy edited into photo of Kamala Harris and Montel Williams

None of the posts that shared the altered video offer any evidence to support the claim Harris was inebriated during the speech, and there are no reliable reports that she was drunk.

Comments either fabricated and falsely attributed to Harris or taken out of context have circulated online since she entered the presidential race in July. USA TODAY has debunked claims that she made a nonsensical comment about “yesterday, today and tomorrow,” that she pledged to punish Trump supporters and that she bragged about destroying lives while in office.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram users who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Lead Stories and AFP also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• C-SPAN, Sept. 20, Vice President Harris Speaks at Atlanta, Georgia Campaign Event

• Kamala Harris (YouTube), Sept. 20, VP Kamala Harris Live Remarks from Atlanta, Georgia

• 11Alive (YouTube), Sept. 20 , Kamala Harris on abortion rights in metro Atlanta | Full remarks

• FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth (YouTube), Sept. 20, Kamala Harris on Abortion Rights: FULL SPEECH

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris video altered to slow her speech | Fact check