Simply over two weeks earlier than U.S. Election Day in 2024, on-line customers and publications promoted two rumors relating to a video clip from a marketing campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, held Oct. 17 on the College of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Whereas Harris was talking in assist 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 incorrect rally.” The gang cheered. “No, I feel you meant to go to the smaller one down the road.”
Extra cheers adopted, as did a closely views post (archived) by the Kamala HQ “fast response” account on X — a publish that labeled the protesters “MAGA hecklers.”
After they reported on the incident, each Fox News and The Western Journal mentioned 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.
Nonetheless, People, Rolling Stone and different sources revealed a distinct account of what occurred — specifically, that Harris had truly responded to a distinct individual within the crowd who shouted “That is a lie!”
Snopes acquired reader mail asking for the info 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 incorrect rally,” instantly after two male voices shouted, “Christ is King” and “Jesus is Lord,” and a 3rd voice, apparently feminine, shouted, “That is a lie.”
Nonetheless, the latter phrases are vague in each this and different clips (embedded beneath) documenting the incident. It is believable the individual 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 regarded within the route of the 2 male protesters, it is unsure whether or not she clearly heard what they mentioned. Fox Information’ reporting on the incident couched its description of Harris’ response with the phrase “seemingly,” as in: Harris “seemingly instructed two Christian college students at her Wisconsin rally final week that they had been ‘on the incorrect rally’ once 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 number of the shouting. Meredith — who gave the impression to be nearer to the 2 protesters than Harris — posted (archived) that he was not in a position to hear what that they had mentioned.
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’ “incorrect rally” comment, she was chatting with the gang 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 mentioned, “As a result of ours is a struggle for the long run, and it’s a struggle 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 gang cheered.
Harris continued, “And, once more, we’re not going to be gaslighted on this. We bear in mind Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the US Supreme Courtroom with the intention that they might undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, they usually did as he supposed.”
After a short pause throughout which the shouting from the gang occurred, Harris mentioned, “Oh, you guys are on the incorrect 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 individual earlier than persevering with together with her speech.
One other Video Angle
Instagram person @mckmama77 attended Harris’ rally and recorded a video (archived) of the second one of many protesters may very well be heard shouting, “Jesus is Lord,” adopted by the vice chairman’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 would not embody the interjections “Jesus is Lord” or “Christ is King.” Nonetheless, 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, they usually did as he supposed.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Lies. Lies. That is a lie.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Oh, you guys are on the incorrect 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 may very well be right on this level, we discovered no definitive proof in three completely different video recordings of the second that the phrases shouted by that individual had 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 mentioned, ‘You are within the incorrect location,’ once they began speaking a few sure topic, proper?” Trump mentioned to the gang. “They’re within the… which principally was a knock on Christianity and a knock on faith, as a result of she would not know what the hell she’s saying.”
The second by which Trump made these feedback begins on the 17:27 mark on this WFAA-TV YouTube video.
Trump’s operating mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, additionally talked about the incident throughout one among his marketing campaign rallies on Oct. 20 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Vance mentioned, “There’s something actually weird with Kamala Harris’ anti-Christian rhetoric and anti-Christian method 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 gang. The second begins on the 6:24 mark in this C-SPAN video.
At the least one X person 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 & Associates” interviewed the 2 pupil 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 person on X reposted (archived) your entire “Fox & Associates” interview.
Polaske talked about what he shouted to the gang and the way Harris regarded in his route:
After she talked about overturning Roe v. Wade and Donald Trump, I yelled out to the gang that abortion is the sacrament of Devil. And after I mentioned 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,” after we mentioned that.
And I feel it is vital to say this can be a small venue, and we had been about 20 to 30 yards away from Kamala at this level. There’s lots of controversy that claims she wasn’t speaking to us or we left, we did not get kicked out. Effectively, I can communicate 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’ll be able to see on the video she waves. She waves. She was truly waving at me.
I took this cross off my neck that I put on. And, as we had been getting requested to depart, I held it up within the air and waved at her and pointed to her and she or he regarded immediately 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 mentioned he and Beth had been escorted out of the rally by three individuals sporting badges, with one man purportedly saying, “You’re uninvited and unwelcome to this occasion. You must 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 already know, going at any individuals. Individuals on-line had been calling us “MAGA fascists.” That was by no means our intention going to this rally. We had been solely right here to protest our religion and we did so. We by no means anticipated this to develop as massive because it was.
Basically, she was talking and we determined to say “Christ is King,” “Jesus is Lord,” and we acquired lots of backlash. As you’ll be able to see in that firsthand video, I used to be pushed by an aged lady. We had been heckled at, we had been cursed at, we had been mocked. And that is the largest factor for me, personally. In reflection of the occasion, Jesus was mocked, his disciples had been mocked and that is OK. In actuality, we did God’s work and we had 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.
