Kamala Harris did not threaten Trump fans with the ‘vengeance of a nation’
CLAIM: Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator and former Democratic presidential candidate from California, said on June 18 that once President Trump is no longer in office “and we have regained our rightful place in the White House,” his supporters will feel the “vengeance of a nation.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. This fabricated quote originated with a satirical article in 2019 and is now being shared out of context. There is no evidence Harris ever said this.
THE FACTS: A quote from a satirical article posted on the website Bustatroll.org in August 2019 is making the rounds again — but this time, people are sharing it as true.
Outspoken rock star and Trump voter Ted Nugent is the latest to share a viral image that attributes the vindictive quote to Harris without noting its fabricated origins.
“And once Trump’s gone and we have regained our rightful place in the White House, look out if you supported him and endorsed his actions, because we’ll be coming for you next,” says text written over a photo of Harris. “You will feel the vengeance of a nation. No stone will be left unturned as we seek you out in every corner of this great nation. For it is you who have betrayed us.”
The post, which was viewed more than 105,000 times in 24 hours on Facebook, attributes the quote to Harris on June 18. “Yes, she really said this,” it adds for emphasis.
The quote is also being shared by Facebook users without the photo of Harris. At least one post attributes the words to Harris on June 14.
But the quote first appeared online far before June 2020. The Bustatroll.org article listed as being written by a “Fired Writer” was posted in August 2019.
Though Harris has been vocal in her criticism of Trump, an online search for the words in the post returned no evidence she had ever said them. Chris Harris, the senator’s communications director, also confirmed the quote is not real.
Harris is one of several women still in consideration to be Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 presidential election, The Associated Press has reported.
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This is part of The Associated Press’ ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.
Here’s more information on Facebook’s fact-checking program: https://www.facebook.com/help/1952307158131536