Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sparred over issues including immigration, the economy and abortion during their first presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Sept. 10. VERIFY analyzed claims from both Trump and Harris on debate night.
But after the debate, some people on social media weren’t focused on the candidates’ claims or their policies. They claimed Harris was wearing “audio” or “earphone” earrings, suggesting people were secretly coaching the vice president in a violation of debate rules.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer also amplified this claim, writing on X, “Interesting choice of earrings tonight, @KamalaHarris…”
Loomer and other people on social media included photos of Nova H1 audio earrings in their posts, which are described as the “first and only wireless earphones embedded in a pair of pearl earrings on a gold- or silver-plated clip.”
Several VERIFY readers asked us whether the claims about Harris wearing these audio earrings are true.
THE QUESTION
Did Kamala Harris wear Nova H1 audio earrings during the Sept. 10 presidential debate?
THE SOURCES
- Icebach Sound Solutions
- Associated Press photos of Harris at the Sept. 10 presidential debate
- Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Nova H1 audio earrings
- Tiffany & Co. website
- Blog posts on “What Kamala Wore,” a website tracking the vice president’s style
- Malte Iversen, managing director for Icebach Sound Solutions
THE ANSWER
No, Kamala Harris did not wear Nova H1 audio earrings during the presidential debate. There are clear differences between these earrings and the pair Harris wore during the debate.
WHAT WE FOUND
Harris was not wearing the Nova H1 audio earrings that are shown in social media posts during the presidential debate.
Though the pearl earrings Harris wore during the debate look similar to the Nova H1 earrings at first glance, there are clear differences between the two pairs. Harris’ debate earrings are Tiffany & Co. pearl earrings that a blogger tracking the vice president’s style notes she has worn at other events.
Icebach Sound Solutions, the German company that produces the Nova H1 audio earrings, also confirmed in a Sept. 13 statement that Harris was not wearing the company’s earrings.
“After thoroughly analysing the photos of Kamela [sic] Harris during the Presidential Debate, we have come to the conclusion that these are not our H1 Audio Ear Rings. In some of the photos, this can be clearly recognised by the different design,” the company wrote in its statement.
The Nova H1 audio earrings are a pair of wireless earphones embedded in a pair of pearl earrings, according to Icebach Sound Solutions. The company’s website features silver and gold versions of the earrings, both of which have a pearl and a bulky front and back clip that fastens around a person’s earlobe.
Photos of Harris taken by the Associated Press show she was wearing a different style of earrings during the debate.
Harris’ earrings have a pearl and two prongs that circle around her earlobe in a “J” shape.
That is different from the Nova H1 audio earrings. Photos of those earrings on a Kickstarter campaign website and the Icebach Sounds Solutions website show a thick clip that fastens more snugly around a person’s earlobe.
Harris was wearing South Sea pearl earrings from Tiffany’s HardWear Collection during the debate. Blogger Susan Kelley, who tracks what Harris wears in her blog “What Kamala Wore,” included a photo of the original product on Tiffany’s site.
Though these gold pearl earrings aren’t available on the Tiffany website anymore, VERIFY found a similar pair of pearl earrings in sterling silver from Tiffany’s HardWear collection that cost $800. These earrings have the same J-shaped prongs that circle around the earlobe, but the pearls on Harris’ earrings appear to be larger. They also have a post for pierced ears rather than a clip. Tiffany says its HardWear collection is “inspired by a quintessential bracelet from 1962 found in the House’s archives.
Another post from “What Kamala Wore” includes photos of the vice president wearing the same gold Tiffany earrings to various events, including President Joe Biden’s March 2024 State of the Union Address.
ABC News’ rules for the Sept. 10 presidential debate clearly stated no props would be allowed on stage and campaign staff would not be allowed to interact with candidates during the commercial breaks.
The Harris campaign declined to comment about the vice president’s earrings. Similar false claims surfaced following debates with President Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
VERIFY digital journalist Erin Jones contributed to this report.
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