The recent Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey event stirred quite a bit of buzz online, and not all of it for the right reasons. While this high-profile event aimed to position Harris as a dynamic change agent, it quickly turned into a target for online scrutiny, particularly regarding some technical hiccups and oddities that emerged during the broadcast.
First off, there were rumors about a teleprompter being used by Harris throughout the event. Many critics took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse her of being overly rehearsed or even scripted. But here's the thing: the teleprompter only seemed to make an appearance at the end, when Oprah was wrapping up and providing viewers with links and resources. The transcript backs this up, as the lines on the screen matched Oprah’s closing remarks, not Kamala's responses. While this doesn't excuse the lack of clear answers from Harris on some pretty basic issues, it does clarify that the prompter wasn't there to script the Vice President’s responses.
That said, Harris didn’t do herself any favors. Much of her talk was described as vague and overly focused on "vibes" rather than hard policy points. With topics like inflation, immigration, and gun violence on the table, many were left scratching their heads, waiting for substantive answers that never really came.
Graphic courtesy of Deroy Murdock pic.twitter.com/4LVqNM93Vb
— Nickarama (@nickaramaOG) September 22, 2024
And then there was the Zoom audience debacle, which raised even more eyebrows. Observers noted that the same group of people appeared twice in the digital audience feed, suggesting some creative editing to make the turnout appear larger than it actually was. Nick Sorter highlighted this on X, pointing to footage from ABC News. You can see it clearly—seven individuals in the second row from the top are mirrored again in the third row. For an event billed as a "grassroots" effort, this apparent duplication casts doubt on the authenticity of the supposed groundswell of support Harris and Oprah were aiming to showcase.
So, what’s going on here? Why the gimmicks and the over-reliance on star power to boost Harris’s appeal? Simple: it’s all about rebranding her as a force of change, despite being part of the very administration voters are frustrated with. Harris needs the Oprah-level celebrity endorsements because, as many pointed out, she’s struggling to connect with regular Americans who are dealing with skyrocketing grocery prices and inflation.
— Nickarama (@nickaramaOG) September 22, 2024
Even Donald Trump chimed in after the event, using his platform Truth Social to call out both Harris and Oprah. Trump took aim at Harris’s inability to answer straightforward questions about the economy and immigration, labeling her "mentally unfit" to lead the country. He also mocked the awkward exchanges, claiming that Harris’s performance likely had Oprah wanting to crawl under the table out of embarrassment.
The entire event underscores a bigger issue for Harris: how do you sell change when you’re part of the system most people are fed up with? Harris is trying to reposition herself as someone who can deliver a brighter future, but the past three years under the Biden administration have left many skeptical. The promise of "joy" doesn’t resonate with those who feel burdened by inflation, an insecure border, and economic uncertainty.
Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, even admitted in a rather ironic slip-up that "we can’t afford another four years of this." It’s a sentiment that resonates with many voters—but here’s the kicker: Harris has been in the driver's seat. She cast the tie-breaking votes in the Senate that some argue worsened inflation, and she was tasked with handling the border crisis, which many feel has only deteriorated under her watch.