Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris discussing how women should “get ahead.”
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
This isn’t an authentic video of Vice President Kamala Harris saying how women should ‘get ahead’
If Your Time is short
-
This video is altered.
-
In the original, then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris was commenting on whether to ban plastic straws in this video clip from a 2019 CNN town hall on climate change. She wasn’t discussing how women should "get ahead."
- Learn more about PolitiFact's fact-checking process and rating system.
A video clip of a 2019 CNN town hall on climate change has been altered several years later to make it appear as though Vice President Kamala Harris commented on how women should "get ahead."
The chyron at the bottom of the clip suggests the topic under discussion is whether women should engage in oral sex to "get ahead."
Harris, then a 2020 presidential candidate, says: "I think we should, yes."
An Instagram post sharing the video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Featured Fact-check
In reality, Harris was answering a question about whether she would ban plastic straws.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
In the video in the post, remarks that Harris makes that would clarify that, such as "it’s really difficult to drink out of a paper straw," are bleeped out.
The chyron was also altered. The original said: "Would you ban plastic straws?"
We rate claims she was commenting on how women should get ahead Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Instagram post, Sept. 12, 2023
CNN, Climate Crisis Town Hall with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Presidential Candidate, Sept. 4, 2019
YouTube, Kamala Harris: "Yes" We Should Ban Plastic Straws, Sept. 4, 2023
CNN, CNN's climate crisis town hall, updated Sept. 5, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
This isn’t an authentic video of Vice President Kamala Harris saying how women should ‘get ahead’
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.