Trump promotes false Harris AI crowd size conspiracy

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday falsely accused his November election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, of using AI technology to fabricate images of the crowd sizes at her rallies, amplifying an unfounded conspiracy to explain the strong enthusiasm for the new Democratic ticket.

“Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!” the Republican presidential nominee wrote on Truth Social.

Trump was referring to an image of a large crowd gathered on the tarmac in Michigan on Aug. 7, cheering for Harris as she stepped out of Air Force Two. His comments parroted a false conspiracy that is being spread online by MAGA Republican commentators, some of whom have previously been caught promoting misinformation.

The Harris campaign replied that it is “an actual photo of a 15,000-person crowd for Harris-Walz in Michigan.” CNBC also licensed a Getty Images photo for the story that matches the photos being circulated.

The Harris campaign also used the opportunity to point out the contrast between Harris’ campaign schedule over the past week and Trump’s: “Trump has still not campaigned in a swing state in over a week… Low energy?”

The false allegation from Trump lands in the middle of an election where huge advances in AI tools have eased the process of spreading misinformation. This makes it more difficult than ever for voters to discern reality from internet conspiracy.

Trump’s peddling of the false conspiracy was only one of several social media tirades he launched against Harris over this weekend.

On Saturday, he accused Harris for copying his proposal to eliminate taxes on tips, which she announced at her Las Vegas rally Saturday. Trump made the same promise at his own Las Vegas rally in June.

″[Harris] has no imagination, whatsoever, as shown by the fact that she played ‘COPYCAT’ with, NO TAXES ON TIPS!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday evening.

Trump’s outrage on social media reflects a Republican presidential campaign that is struggling to find its footing after Harris’ entry upended the race.

In the three weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, donations to Democrats have poured in at record levels. Harris’ rallies have also regularly drawn thousands of attendees.

Last week, the Harris campaign launched a tour of seven battleground states across the country, part of the coordinated rollout of Harris’ vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

This campaigning pace is considerably faster than what voters saw when Biden helmed the ticket.

It also draws a stark contrast between Harris’ back-to-back-to-back rallies and Trump’s lighter schedule this month.

Trump has held two rallies so far in August as well as several fundraisers.

He recently said he does not plan to ramp up his campaign travel until after the Democratic National Convention, which runs from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.