Kamala Harris isn’t AI-generated in Trump campaign ad about the economy

Former president Donald Trump’s campaign released an ad on Aug. 26 that appears to show his Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris contradicting her own statements about the economy under President Joe Biden’s administration.

The Trump campaign’s ad starts by showing two people sitting in front of two television screens with text on the screen that says, “The debate we’ve all been waiting for… Harris vs. Harris.” 

The screen on the left cuts to Harris saying, “Everyday prices are too high... Food, rent, gas, back-to-school clothes.” The screen on the right then flashes to another video clip of Harris saying, “That is called Bidenomics!” The ad continues with different price statistics and references to “Bidenomics.”

Several VERIFY viewers reached out to ask if the clips of Harris in this ad were created with artificial intelligence. 

THE QUESTION

Does this Trump campaign ad about the economy use AI-generated clips of Kamala Harris? 

THE SOURCES

THE ANSWER

No, this Trump campaign ad doesn’t use AI-generated clips of Kamala Harris. The ad uses real clips of Harris from two separate events that have been edited together. 

WHAT WE FOUND

The clips of Kamala Harris in Donald Trump’s campaign ad are real and weren’t created using artificial intelligence. Harris did make the statements seen in the campaign ad at two separate events, one in August 2023 and one in August 2024. 

Harris can be seen wearing two different outfits in the Trump campaign ad. On the right side of the screen, she is wearing a blue suit and a necklace, and on the left side, she’s wearing a dark jacket, white tunic and isn’t wearing a necklace. 

Her remarks while wearing the blue suit were made at an Aug. 16, 2024 campaign stop in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was wearing the dark jacket and white tunic at an Aug. 4, 2023, event in Washington, D.C., where she was talking about the latest jobs report. 

Harris’ remarks were spliced together with comments about so-called “Bidenomics” to give the impression she was contradicting herself and blaming President Joe Biden’s economic policies for rising costs.

VERIFY was able to confirm the clips seen in the Trump campaign ad were real by comparing them to CSPAN broadcasts and White House transcripts. 

In the ad, Harris says, “Everyday prices are too high... Food, rent, gas, back-to-school clothes.” That snippet can be heard at the 13:21 mark of the Aug. 14, 2024, CSPAN broadcast; she was talking about building up the middle class and how lowering the cost of living is a goal of her presidency if she were to win.

Also in the ad from the same campaign stop is a clip of Harris saying, “A loaf of bread costs 50% more.” She says this at the 15:06 mark of the CSPAN broadcast, referencing how prices went up during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The clips used in the Trump campaign ad of Harris talking about “Bidenomics” are from an Aug. 4, 2023 speech on the economy. Beginning at the 8:25 mark of the CSPAN broadcast of the event Harris makes statements including “That is called Bidenomics” and “Bidenomics is working!” She was talking about job creation under the Biden Administration. Here is the full transcript from that portion of the speech:

“All that, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else — that is called 'Bidenomics.' That is called Bidenomics, and we are very proud of Bidenomics. And as today’s jobs numbers make clear: Bidenomics is working. Last month, we created 187,000 new jobs.  That means today — yeah, go ahead and clap. I don’t want to step on the applause. That means, today, 187,000 more Americans are able to go to work, to provide for their family and invest in their future.”

So, we can VERIFY the Trump campaign ad doesn’t use AI-generated clips of Kamala Harris; the clips are real and were edited together.