Did a video shared to TikTok show a genuine ad for "Actors needed" to attend an Arizona rally for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in August 2024? No, that's not true: Versions of the supposed ad circulated online since at least 2018, often with posters making unproven connections to events either in support of or opposition to former President Donald Trump. Lead Stories did not find evidence to prove that the ad was genuine or related to the Harris campaign in any capacity.
A version of the claim appeared in a video on TikTok on August 10, 2024 (archived here), showing a crowd described as being at an Arizona rally for Harris. The video included a screenshot of a post that read:
This is the size of Kamala Harris's crowd in Arizona. Can anyone explain why she's become so popular?
The clip jumps to a screenshot of a supposed ad for paid actors, which is offered as an explanation for the crowd size. The text of the ad read:
Actors needed (Phoenix Convention Center)
Actors/help needed for event tomorrow from 2-11pm.
Duties include protest activity and holding signs that are Anti-Trump. Minorities welcome and needed!
Looking to fill about 500 spots.
Here is how that post appeared at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken Mon Aug 12. 08:27:00 2024 UTC)
The ad does not include any information that would help to prove further its existence, such as a date or full URL link.
A reverse image search (archived here) revealed that versions of the supposed ad have been in circulation online since at least 2018, with the earliest versions saying "signs that are Pro Trump" instead of "signs that are Anti-Trump." According to AZ Central (archived here) a similar ad was already circulating in 2017. The "Pro Trump" signs ad was shared again in the years following (archived here), used to, among other things, claim that "die-hard" protesters of Trump were also "paid actors."
The supposed ad doesn't show a date -- just that the ad was "posted about 2 hours ago" -- or the entire link, which would help prove whether it was authentic.
Lead Stories contacted the Harris campaign and the Arizona Democratic Party, which hosted the Harris rallies. We will update this article should we receive a response.
At the time of this publication, Reuters also looked at a similar iteration of this claim.
