What happened
Donald Trump on Sunday falsely claimed that his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris digitally manipulated photos of her recent Detroit rally to make the crowd, estimated at 15,000, look larger.
Who said what
"Kamala CHEATED" and "'A.I.'d'" a photo of a crowd greeting her airplane, Trump wrote in one of several Truth Social posts on the subject. "She had NOBODY waiting, and the 'crowd' looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake 'crowds' at her speeches." Trump "appeared to have fallen for a far-right conspiracy theory — one easily disproved by photos and videos captured by attendees and media," CNN said.
Trump also threatened to sue The New York Times for disputing a story he told Thursday about an emergency helicopter landing with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown in the 1990s. Brown said that never happened, and the Times suggested Trump was remembering an uneventful 2018 helicopter ride with former California Gov. Jerry Brown. But former Los Angeles city councilor Nate Holden told Politico late Friday it was him in the emergency landing with Trump, in 1990. A former Trump employee confirmed Holden's story. "Willie is the short Black guy living in San Francisco," Holden said. "I'm a tall Black guy living in Los Angeles."
What next?
The Harris campaign has "begun to mock" Trump for his "obsession with the large crowds" she's drawing, the Times said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Does Reform have a Russia problem?Talking Point Nigel Farage is ‘in bed with Putin’, claims Rachel Reeves, after party’s former leader in Wales pleaded guilty to taking bribes from the Kremlin
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace dealThe Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
-
See the Northern Lights from these bucket list destinationsThe Week Recommends The dazzling displays can be spotted across Iceland, Sweden and parts of Canada
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace deal
The Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Miami Freedom Tower’s MAGA library squeezeTHE EXPLAINER Plans to place Donald Trump’s presidential library next to an iconic symbol of Florida’s Cuban immigrant community has South Florida divided
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
