Trump spreads false conspiracy theory about Harris’ Detroit crowd size

By Eric Bradner, CNN

(CNN) — Donald Trump falsely claimed in a series of social media posts Sunday that “nobody” attended Vice President Kamala Harris’ Michigan rally last week — and said his Democratic rival should be “disqualified” over a “fake crowd picture.”

The former president appeared to have fallen for a far-right conspiracy theory — one easily disproved by photos and videos captured by attendees and media showing thousands of supporters at the event at an airport hangar near Detroit.

The false claims about attendance at Harris’ event come as Trump navigates the contours of a changed presidential race, with the vice president riding a wave of new Democratic enthusiasm after replacing President Joe Biden atop the ticket. The GOP nominee, who regularly draws large crowds of his own, has long been fixated on audience size, with his speeches often filled with exaggerated boasts about the turnout.

Trump, on his social media website Truth Social, made the fabricated claim that Harris had been “turned in” by an airport maintenance worker who “noticed the fake crowd picture.”

He then said Harris should be “disqualified” from the 2024 election “because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!”

However, photos and videos of the event — including videos captured with CNN’s cameras — reflect a sizable audience for Harris’ Wednesday event. The crowd filled a large hangar and spilled onto the sprawling tarmac where Air Force Two had stopped. Two large risers and many rows of chairs were outside, as were several giant screens for the outdoor crowd that couldn’t see the rally stage.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said on LinkedIn that he analyzed the photo with two models designed to detect patterns associated with AI-generated images. Both models found no evidence of AI generation, he said, adding that “the text on the signs and plane [showed] none of the usual signs of generative AI.”

“While the lack of evidence of manipulation is not evidence the image is real,” he said, “we find no evidence that this image is AI-generated or digitally altered.”

David Plouffe, a Harris campaign senior adviser, wrote on X: “These are not conspiratorial rantings from the deepest recesses of the internet. The author could have the nuclear codes and be responsible for decisions that will affect us all for decades.”

Trump on Sunday shared a screenshot of an X post that featured two photos: one shared on X by a Harris staffer that showed thousands of people greeting Harris’ plane; another zoomed in on the curved, reflective side of one of Air Force Two’s engines in which the crowd isn’t clear.

“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!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She was turned in by a maintenance worker at the airport when he noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there, later confirmed by the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane.”

“She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the ‘crowd’ looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake ‘crowds’ at her speeches,” Trump added. “She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!”

Trump has twice been indicted over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

He falsely claimed in another post, “Look, we caught her with a fake ‘crowd.’ There was nobody there!”

In reaction to Trump’s false claims, rally attendees and Harris staffers were sharing their own photos from the event on social media Sunday afternoon.

Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party, shared on X a photo from the event showing her speaking to a large crowd before Harris was introduced. Barnes joked that she was “honored that whoever made the AI image of 15,000 excited Democrats welcoming” Harris and running mate Tim Walz to Detroit “was kind enough to include me at the lectern.”

“That AI crowd was really loud, my ears just stopped ringing from their imaginary cheering,” Barnes said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Kate Sullivan and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.

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