One of many extra mentioned moments of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 marketing campaign rallies occurred with lower than a month earlier than Election Day. On-line customers and publications promoted two completely different rumors concerning a video clip captured throughout her rally on Oct. 17 on the College of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Whereas Harris was talking in help of abortion rights, she briefly paused when some protesters within the crowd started shouting. As movies posted by USA Today and different publications confirmed, Harris responded, “Oh, you guys are on the mistaken rally.” The group cheered. “No, I feel you meant to go to the smaller one down the road.”
Extra cheers adopted, as did a closely seen post (archived) by the Kamala HQ “speedy response” account on X — a put up that labeled the protesters “MAGA hecklers.”
Once they reported on the incident, each Fox News and The Western Journal stated Harris had “mocked” anti-abortion demonstrators who had shouted “Christ is King” and “Jesus is Lord.” Numerous X users made similar claims, together with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Nevertheless, People, Rolling Stone and different sources printed a special account of what occurred — specifically, that Harris had really responded to a special particular person within the crowd who shouted “That is a lie!”
Snopes obtained reader mail asking for the details surrounding these variations of occasions.
What the Video Appears To Present
In our evaluation of the clip, we famous Harris did say, “Oh, you guys are on the mistaken rally,” instantly after two male voices shouted, “Christ is King” and “Jesus is Lord,” and a 3rd voice, apparently feminine, appeared to shout, “That is a lie.”
Nevertheless, the latter phrases are vague in each this and different clips (embedded under) documenting the incident. It is believable the particular person yelled one thing else that rhymed with “lie” — “Bye! Bye! Goodbye!” for instance, maybe meant for the ears of the protesters.
Whereas the video confirmed that Harris appeared within the route of the 2 male protesters, it is unsure whether or not she clearly heard what they stated. Fox Information’ reporting on the incident couched its description of Harris’ response with the phrase “seemingly,” as in: Harris “seemingly informed two Christian college students at her Wisconsin rally final week that they have been ‘on the mistaken rally’ after they shouted ‘Jesus is Lord’ and ‘Christ is King.'”
Fox Information correspondent Mark Meredith recorded a video from his perspective on the rally that confirmed a few of the shouting. Meredith — who gave the impression to be nearer to the 2 protesters than Harris — posted (archived) that he was not capable of hear what that they had stated.
We contacted three Harris marketing campaign officers by e mail for remark however didn’t obtain a response.
Context
Within the moments main as much as Harris’ “mistaken rally” comment, she was talking to the group about her stance on abortion rights. Dallas-based WFAA-TV hosts a full speech video on YouTube:
Starting on the 16:59 mark within the above video, Harris stated, “As a result of ours is a combat for the longer term, and it’s a combat for freedom. For freedom. Like the elemental freedom of a lady to make choices about her personal physique and never have her authorities inform her what to do.”
The group cheered.
Harris continued, “And, once more, we’re not going to be gaslighted on this. We keep in mind Donald Trump hand-selected three members of america Supreme Court docket with the intention that they might undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and so they did as he meant.”
After a short pause throughout which the shouting from the group came about, Harris stated, “Oh, you guys are on the mistaken rally. No, I feel you meant to go to the smaller one down the road.”
A couple of moments later she appeared to note somebody within the crowd in want of medical consideration, at which level she requested for a medic to take care of that particular person earlier than persevering with together with her speech.
One other Video Angle
Instagram consumer @mckmama77 attended Harris’ rally and recorded a video (archived) of the second one of many protesters might be heard shouting, “Jesus is Lord,” adopted by the vp’s response. Some X users later reposted that video, garnering greater than 1 million complete views.
The White Home Transcript
WhiteHouse.gov hosts the official transcript for Harris’ speech in La Crosse. The transcript does not embrace the interjections “Jesus is Lord” or “Christ is King.” Nevertheless, it does attribute the comment “Lies. Lies. That is a lie” to an viewers member:
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — with the intention that they might undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and so they did as he meant.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Lies. Lies. That is a lie.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Oh, you guys are on the mistaken rally. (Laughter and applause.) No, I feel you meant to go to the smaller one down the road. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Come on.
Although the transcript might be appropriate on this level, we discovered no definitive proof in three completely different video recordings of the second that the phrases shouted by that particular person have been “Lies. Lies. That is a lie.”
We contacted the White Home by e mail and can replace this story if we obtain a response.
Trump and Vance Touch upon Harris Rally
Former President Donald Trump talked about the incident throughout an Oct. 19, 2024, marketing campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
“Then she had the opposite occasion the opposite day the place she stated, ‘You are within the mistaken location,’ after they began speaking a couple of sure topic, proper?” Trump stated to the group. “They’re within the… which mainly was a knock on Christianity and a knock on faith, as a result of she does not know what the hell she’s saying.”
The second during which Trump made these feedback begins on the 17:27 mark on this WFAA-TV YouTube video.
Trump’s working mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, additionally talked about the incident throughout one in all his marketing campaign rallies on Oct. 20 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Vance stated, “There’s something actually weird with Kamala Harris’ anti-Christian rhetoric and anti-Christian strategy to public coverage.” At that second, an individual within the viewers yelled, “Jesus is King.” Vance responded: “That is proper. Jesus is King.” The comment drew cheers from the group. The second begins on the 6:24 mark in this C-SPAN video.
Not less than one X consumer posted (archived) Vance’s and Harris’ movies into one side-by-side clip.
Fox Information Interviews the two Male Pupil Protesters
On Oct. 20, the hosts of Fox Information’ TV present “Fox & Buddies” interviewed the 2 scholar protesters who shouted throughout Harris’ rally. The hosts recognized them as Luke Polaske and Grant Beth, each juniors on the College of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The pair shared their perspective in full. A consumer on X reposted (archived) your entire “Fox & Buddies” interview.
Polaske talked about what he shouted to the group and the way Harris appeared in his route:
After she talked about overturning Roe v. Wade and Donald Trump, I yelled out to the group that abortion is the sacrament of Devil. And after I stated that, I deeply do consider that as a Christian. And about 10 seconds go by, and that is when the video of my pal Grant and I proclaiming that “Christ is Lord” and “Jesus is King,” once we stated that.
And I feel it is vital to say this can be a small venue, and we have been about 20 to 30 yards away from Kamala at this level. There’s a variety of controversy that claims she wasn’t speaking to us or we left, we did not get kicked out. Properly, I can converse on Grant’s and I’s behalf. On video, Grant’s getting pushed and shoved, and there is about 5 seconds after, or earlier than she tells us to go to the smaller rally down the road, you may see on the video she waves. She waves. She was really waving at me.
I took this cross off my neck that I put on. And, as we have been getting requested to depart, I held it up within the air and waved at her and pointed to her and she or he appeared instantly within the eye, form of gave me an evil smirk. Yeah, I simply wish to clear that up and ensure that she 100% was speaking to us.
Polaske stated he and Beth have been escorted out of the rally by three folks sporting badges, with one man purportedly saying, “You’re uninvited and unwelcome to this occasion. It’s essential go away.”
Beth talked about why he and Polaske spoke out on the rally and the reactions they subsequently encountered on-line:
We did not actually intend on, you understand, going at any folks. Individuals on-line have been calling us “MAGA fascists.” That was by no means our intention going to this rally. We have been solely right here to protest our religion and we did so. We by no means anticipated this to develop as giant because it was.
Primarily, she was talking and we determined to say “Christ is King,” “Jesus is Lord,” and we obtained a variety of backlash. As you may see in that firsthand video, I used to be pushed by an aged girl. We have been heckled at, we have been cursed at, we have been mocked. And that is the largest factor for me, personally. In reflection of the occasion, Jesus was mocked, his disciples have been mocked and that is OK. In actuality, we did God’s work and we have been there for the best causes and God is watching us on this second.
Beth added that he believed God despatched him and Polaske to the rally to ship that message.
