Video of Harris slurring words in Helene warning is edited | Fact check
The claim: Video shows Kamala Harris slurred words in Helene remarks
A Sept. 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows Vice President Kamala Harris delivering a warning about Hurricane Helene and speaking in an unusually slow manner.
Animated icons of alcoholic drinks are overlaid on the video, which is a repost of a TikTok video and includes on-screen text that reads, "Kammy's 'on the case' of Hurricane Helene."
The post's caption reads, "She slurring. Omg!"
The post was shared more than 90 times in three days.
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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.
Social media users share slowed-down clip of Harris at White House
The Facebook video shows Harris delivering remarks on Sept. 26 at a White House with President Joe Biden on gun violence. The president announced an executive order that addresses devices that effectively turn semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic ones, as well as untraceable 3D-printed "ghost guns" and trauma caused by active shooter drills in schools.
Harris, who oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, delivered extended remarks on gun violence at the event but started with a brief warning about Hurricane Helene, which had not yet made landfall in Florida.
"So the president and I, of course, are monitoring the case and the situation closely, and we urge everyone who is watching at this very moment to take this storm very seriously," Harris says in the clip in the Facebook post. "And please follow the guidance of your local officials. And President Biden and I, of course, will continue to work closely with state and local officials."
Videos of her remarks shared by the White House, C-SPAN and The Associated Press make it clear Harris did not speak in the slowed manner shown in the social media posts. Rather, she spoke normally and did not slur her words.
Fact check: Video altered to make Kamala Harris appear intoxicated during speech
The video shared in the Facebook post was manipulated to slow Harris' speech. In the C-SPAN video, the relevant portion of Harris' remarks runs for 23 seconds. The same portion of Harris' remarks runs for 29 seconds in the Facebook video.
This isn't the first time video of Harris has been altered in this way. USA TODAY debunked a similar video that falsely claimed Harris slurred her words while intoxicated during a Sept. 20 speech in Atlanta.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook and TikTok users who shared the video for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
Our fact-check sources:
The White House (YouTube), Sept. 26, President Biden and Vice President Harris Deliver Remarks on Addressing Gun Violence in America
The Associated Press, Sept. 26, Biden, Harris warn Americans to take Hurricane Helene 'extremely seriously'
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris didn't slur speech during hurricane warning | Fact check
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