Vice President Kamala Harris has been called a fraud for posting a photo of herself on the phone with the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
The presumptive Democratic nominee shared the image on social media, explaining that she spoke with Yulia Navalnaya on Thursday amid a historic prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.
Harris made the call, she said, because some of the detainees released in the deal “worked with Navalny to fight corruption and build a free and democratic Russia.”
“I thanked Yulia for her courage in continuing her husband’s work and reaffirmed my commitment to supporting those fighting for freedom in Russia and around the world,” she added.
But some eagle-eyed social media users criticised the 59-year-old vice president, branding her a “phony” for holding the phone to her ear while speaking to the grieving widow.
Vice President Kamala Harris was mocked for this photo of her speaking with the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Thursday
“Why is it on ‘speaker’ but they hold it up to your ear… like you’re talking on the phone through the regular speaker?” Nikki Villanueva wrote.
The user added a Yoda-style reference: “The gaslighting is ‘strong’ in this one.”
Others compared the image to a cheap “photo opportunity.”
“So weird how Kamala puts her phone to her ear while it’s on speaker,” another X user wrote, while a third posted: “If your phone is on speaker you don’t have to put it on your head Kamala.”
“It’s on speakerphone, Kamala,” a fourth person wrote on Instagram.
The post marks the second time in less than a week that Harris has been mocked for her 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 released a video of themselves calling Harris to endorse her for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In the video, Harris can again be seen holding the phone to her ear, even with the speakerphone button pressed.
“The Obamas are endorsing Kamala in the most disgraceful way,” wrote one X user.
‘None of them can act, and Kamala switches from answering the call on speakerphone to holding it in her ear.
‘Somehow we can still hear the Obamas clearly.
‘These people are stupid.’
Drew Hernandez also called the video “poorly scripted events.”
“Everything surrounding Kamala Harris right now is synthetic,” he wrote. “Who is talking on speaker phone with phone glued to ear?”
Another X user said Harris was guilty of “bad acting.”
“She’s as fake as her laugh,” wrote user X.
It is the second time in less than a week that Harris has been criticized for the bizarre practice after she was seen doing it in a video in which the Obamas endorsed her.
One X user called the video “embarrassing” and said she was “dumb” for holding her phone to her ear with the speaker on.
Another said it was “as fake as her laugh”
Even former President Donald Trump criticized Harris for the video, telling a crowd in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday that “the radical left bosses of the Democratic Party have installed a puppet candidate to fight only for themselves.”
“It’s completely scripted, owned and controlled by the donors and power brokers who created his 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 cannot be bought or controlled. I have no interest in that.
‘Because everything related to Kamala Harris’ launch is false and is a lie.
“Did you see when President Obama and Michelle called?” he continued, before mocking the phone call.
“Hello, hello, yeah, what’s this? Oh, it’s Michelle and Barack. Oh, I’m so surprised to hear that.” They have four cameras in front of them.