FACT CHECK: Did Karl Rove Endorse Kamala Harris During A Speech in Pennsylvania?
A post going viral on X claims to show former White House official Karl Rove “rallying support” for Vice President Kamala Harris during a speech in Pennsylvania.
BREAKING: Karl Rove is rallying support for Kamala Harris today in Pennsylvania.
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) October 14, 2024
Verdict: False
This video is from February 2024, months before Vice President Harris officially joined the race. Rove has not endorsed anyone in the race.
FACT CHECK:
Karl Rove served as Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush, currently serving as a commentator for multiple news networks. The former advisor has been negative on Trump, calling his foreign policy “silly,” according to Newsweek.
The post claims to show Rove endorsing Harris for president at an event. The video shows Rove giving a speech in Pennsylvania, stating that he was highly critical of the former President and his potential pardoning of January 6th defendants should he take office again. “One of the critical mistakes made in this campaign, is that Donald Trump has now said that I’m gonna pardon those people because they are hostages,” Rove said. “No they’re not. They’re thugs.”
The clip from this speech is being misrepresented by some social media users. The text in the post claims that Mr. Rove was “rallying support,” but he did no such thing in the clip. He makes no direct endorsement of either candidate, and does not mention Vice President Harris at all in the footage going viral. (RELATED: No, Mike Pence Did Not Endorse The Harris-Walz Ticket In The 2024 Presidential Election)
Mr. Rove’s remarks were made during a conversation in February 2024 at the Rancho Mirage Writer’s Festival, which they call a “world-class gathering of the finest writers who contribute to the intellectual vitality of our time.” This talk predates the sitting Vice President announcement of replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, which came in July 2024.
Posts sharing this misleading clip have been hit with a Community Note, giving other users proper context. Check Your Fact was unable to find an official endorsement of either candidate from Rove.
Misinformation regarding endorsements from high-profile figures have been common during this election cycle. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim suggesting former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed Harris as well.
