Vice President Kamala Harris has been called a fake over a photo showing her talking on the phone with the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The presumptive Democratic nominee shared the photo on social media, explaining that she spoke with Yulia Navalnaya on Thursday during a historic prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.
Harris made the call, she said, because some of the prisoners freed under the deal “worked with Navalny to fight corruption and build a free, democratic Russia.”
“I thanked Yulia for her courage in continuing her husband’s work and reaffirmed my commitment to support the struggle for freedom in Russia and around the world,” she added.
But some astute social media users criticized the 59-year-old vice president as an “imposter” for holding the phone to her ear while speaking to the grieving widow.
Vice President Kamala Harris was mocked over this photo of her speaking with the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Thursday
“Why is it on speakerphone but held to your ear…like you’re talking on a regular speakerphone,” Nikki Villanueva wrote.
The user added a reference to Yoda: ‘The gaslighting is “strong” in this one.’
Others compared the image to a cheap photo shoot.
“It’s so weird how Kamala holds the phone to her ear while on speaker,” wrote another X user, while a third posted, “When the phone is on speaker you don’t have to hold it to your head Kamala.”
“It’s on speaker, Kamala,” a fourth person wrote on Instagram.
The post marks the second time in less than a week that Harris has been mocked for his bizarre behavior.
Some people online criticized the vice president for holding the phone to her ear while it was on speakerphone
On Friday, the Obamas posted a video urging Harris to endorse her as the Democratic presidential candidate.
The video again shows Harris holding the phone to her ear, even though the speaker button is pressed.
“The Obamas are supporting Kamala in the most embarrassing way,” wrote one X user.
‘None of them can act, and Kamala goes from taking a phone call on speakerphone to holding it to her ear.
‘Somehow we can still hear the Obamas clearly.
“These people are stupid.”
Drew Hernandez also called the video “poorly scripted events.”
“Everything about Kamala Harris is synthetic at this point,” he wrote. “Who talks on speakerphone with a phone to their ear?”
Another X user said Harris was guilty of “bad acting.”
“She’s as fake as her smile,” the X user wrote.
It is the second time in less than a week that Harris has been criticized for the bizarre practice, after she was seen in a video supporting her with the Obamas.
One X user called the video “cringworthy” and said she was “dumb” for holding the phone to her ear on speakerphone
Another said she was ‘as fake as her smile’
Even former President Donald Trump criticized Harris for the video. On Wednesday, he told a crowd in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that the “radical left leadership of the Democratic Party has installed a puppet candidate who is only fighting for himself.”
“She is completely scripted, owned and controlled by the donors and the power brokers who set up her campaign, who are defrauding our government and making billions and billions of dollars,” the Republican candidate said, according to the Daily Wire.
‘Unlike her, I can’t be bought and I can’t be controlled. I have no interest in that.
‘Because everything about Kamala Harris’ rollout is fake and false.
“Did you see when President Obama and Michelle called?” he continued, before mocking the call.
“Hello, hello, yeah, what is this? Oh, this is Michelle and Barack. Oh, so surprised to hear it.” They have four cameras in front of them.