Did Kamala Harris wear these Nova H1 audio earrings during the presidential debate?
Following a lively debate between presidential candidates Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, allegations that Vice President Harris had violated the rules by wearing an earpiece disguised as an earring exploded on the internet and social media.
The allegations are reminiscent of similar reports from the 2020 presidential election, in which President Joe Biden was accused of wearing an earpiece during the first of three debates between him and former President Donald Trump after images and videos of Biden taken during the debate appeared to show suspicious lines on his shirt that many believed to be a wire.
High-resolution images released after the event showed that this was not the case and that the line in question was merely a crease in the shirt. The allegations were denied by the Reuters The results were checked by the Fact Check team, among others, and found to be incorrect.
But is there any truth to the claims about Harris and her choice of jewelry this time? Let’s take a closer look.
LaptopMag is a non-partisan publication dedicated to sharing insights and preventing the potential spread of misinformation after an article originally published in January 2023 about the Nova H1 audio earrings received a huge influx of readers.
Nova H1 Audio Earrings: What are they?
LaptopMag I first came across Nova’s H1 Audio Earring at CES 2023. Although they look like any other pair of nondescript pearl earrings, the H1 Audio Earring are more like a hands-free Bluetooth earbud, offering a unique open-ear audio experience not unlike other modern wearables like the XREAL Air 2 or the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
We cheekily labeled the earrings a cheater’s dream, as they look harmless and could be abused by clever students. However, aside from finding them a fascinating and fun piece of tech-led fashion, we had no reason to keep the wearables on our radar.
We didn’t think this particular wearable Bluetooth device would see a second resurgence at yesterday’s presidential debate, as some viewers suggested the presidential candidate had donned the H1 Audio earrings for external assistance during the verbal back-and-forth.
Are these the same earrings Kamala Harris is wearing?
While LaptopMag doesn’t normally get involved in the world of political fact-checking, but the recent surge in readership of our original article on the Nova H1 Audio Earrings raises an interesting question: Did Vice President Kamala Harris wear a pair of Nova H1 Audio Earrings during yesterday’s presidential debate?
Claims that presidential candidate Harris wore a pair of Nova H1 audio earrings during her televised debate with former President Donald Trump quickly spread on social media following the pair’s closing arguments.
One X user, sharing a pair of images showing the Nova H1 audio earrings alongside a screenshot of Harris during the debate, highlights the rapidly circulating claims, stating, “Rumors are circulating that Kamala Harris wore audio earrings and was served lines.” Before asking, “Isn’t that against the debate rules?”
There are rumors going around that Kamala Harris wore audio earrings and overheard lines. Isn’t that against the debate rules? pic.twitter.com/3sRTvp20DW11 September 2024
Accordingly ABC NewsAccording to the rules for the September 10 presidential debate, both candidates were required to stand behind lecterns “for the duration of the debate, and no props or pre-written notes were allowed on stage,” suggesting a ban on earbuds.
Further clarification of the rules for communication around the event, ABC News stated that “campaign staffers are not allowed to interact with candidates during commercial breaks.”
This would mean that any communication other than that between candidates and moderators is prohibited, and would put Harris in trouble if these claims were to prove true. But can this be so?
Harris has a history of wearing pearls, so it’s not too difficult to find pictures of the Vice President wearing the same pair of pearls at a previous event.
In high-resolution images of Harris taken earlier this year while she was giving speeches to NCAA championship teams (see above), she can be seen wearing the same earrings, which are clearly not a pair of Nova H1 clip-on audio earrings.
While one could argue that the earrings have been modified by replacing the frame of the Nova H1, that part of the device houses the electronics, so only the pearl would remain.
outlook
Because of the higher image resolution, claims that a Democratic candidate would wear an earpiece during a debate are again misleading.
While this claim is relatively easy to explain, it is also a stark reminder to remain vigilant against bold claims based on low-quality images—or even high-quality images in an age of generative AI where deepfake images can be so easily created.
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