Fox News banner targeting Kamala Harris over age is fake

An image spreading online purportedly shows Fox News warning that Kamala Harris "could be the oldest elected female president" after US President Joe Biden called off his reelection campaign and endorsed the vice president instead. But the screenshot taken from a 2018 broadcast is altered and the cable news network confirmed to AFP that the chyron is fake.

"Maybe, just maybe, the have dug themselves into a hole," says a July 22, 2024 post on Threads.

It shares an image appearing to show Fox News hosts Steve Doocy, Katie Pavlich and Brian Kilmeade talking as all-caps text in the lower third of the screen proclaims: "KAMALA COULD BE THE OLDEST ELECTED FEMALE PRESIDENT."

Image
Screenshot from Threads taken July 30, 2024

Similar posts cropped up across platforms including X and Reddit -- and in multiple languages -- after Harris emerged as the frontrunner to secure the Democratic nomination in the race against former president Donald Trump.

Age has played a defining role in the election, with Biden announcing he was dropping out of the contest after a shaky debate performance exacerbated long-debated worries about his mental sharpness at 81, dooming his bid for a second term. He has since declared it time to "pass the torch to a new generation."

The sudden injection of 59-year-old Harris into the race means Trump, who had for years assailed Biden's fitness for office, is now the more senior option facing Americans. Aged 78, he would be the oldest president ever sworn in if he is elected in November.

But the supposed Fox News chyron targeting Harris -- who would be the first woman president in US history -- is a fabrication.

"This image is fake and this chyron never aired on Fox News," a network spokesperson told AFP in a July 30 email.

A reverse image search reveals the still frame was taken from the August 28, 2018 episode of the morning talk show "Fox & Friends," a morning talk show. Doocy, Pavlich and Kilmeade are wearing the same outfits and seated in front of a matching backdrop.

During the moment in question, the chyron read: "DAVIS ADMITS BEING TRUMP TOWER STORY SOURCE."

Image
Screenshot from the Internet Archive's TV News Archive taken July 30, 2024

The banner referred to Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Trump's onetime lawyer Michael Cohen.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about US politics here.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

Contact us