As voters get set to take part in the first presidential elections since the rise of generative AI, misinformation looks poised to have an even bigger role than in 2016 and 2020. And nowhere is that more prevalent than within the Latino community, which tends to be targeted disproportionately as political parties desperately vie for their vote.
Analysts have advised Latinos to stop and think twice when receiving information and, particularly, before sharing it. Nevertheless, misinformation has become progressively sharper at appealing to Latinos' emotions, especially as November fast approaches. As Tamoa Calzadilla, director of the largest factchecking Spanish-spoken site in the U.S. explains: "the reason why things go viral is that they target your deepest fears."
Which is why it should come as no surprise that false claims about Democratic candidate Kamala Harris being affiliated to communism have become so popular among Latinos in recent weeks: for some immigrants, fears about America today reflect their past experiences in their home countries.
"Political messages warning about 'socialism' or 'communism' have been particularly prevalent in communities with large Cuban and Venezuelan populations, like in south Florida", explains a recent piece by the BBC which looked into why the so called "Comrade Kamala narrative" has gained traction in Latino exile communities across the U.S.
These expats are especially vulnerable to misinformation about communism because of the trauma they experienced fleeing repression, said Samantha Barrios, a Venezuelan-American based in Florida to the BBC.
False claims about Harris spiked after the vice-presidential debate, during which former President Donald Trump referred to Harris as a "Marxist" and suggested her policies would transform the U.S. into "Venezuela on steroids." Following the debate, terms like "Marxista" trended online, and false claims such as Harris owning a USSR Communist Party credential spread like wildfire.
Mainstream conservative personalities have fueled the misinformation, spearheaded by Trump himself who shared an AI image of Harris in August, amassing at least 81.5 million views on X. Elon Musk, who has endorsed Trump, recently posted a faked image of Kamala Harris in a red uniform emblazoned with the communist hammer and sickle, captioned "Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit!?" That post has more than 83 million views.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2024
Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit!? https://t.co/Anu9tKQHXN pic.twitter.com/ISKFXYnSon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 2, 2024
As expected, others have gotten in on the act and a simple search on X provides countless doctored image of Harris amid communist imagery:
Comrade Kamala pic.twitter.com/yhx3sMo9i0
— CaptainToke (@captain_toke) September 14, 2024
Comrade Kamala. China loves her. pic.twitter.com/sYhUfq63Ip
— D Mk (@wickedsmaahht) September 21, 2024
One widely circulated example is a viral video that falsely shows Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, posing in front of a sign for a far-left group, the Revolutionary Communists of America. The video, created by a pro-Trump group called the Dilley Meme Team, was doctored. Despite being debunked, the video has been shared extensively, particularly in Spanish-speaking circles, and even discussed on radio shows like Miami's La Nueva Poderosa.
Despite the claims, Harris has never advocated for communist policies. As a senator, she co-sponsored Medicare for All, a healthcare plan that has been labeled "democratic socialist" by its proponents. However, she has since distanced herself from this proposal. Misinformation suggesting that Harris's economic policies, such as her plan to crack down on price gouging, are akin to communist measures in countries like Cuba or Venezuela.
When asked by the BBC if sharing these types of contents was responsible, Duke Machado who runs a Latino Republican Facebook page called Latino Strikeforce said: "it's not irresponsible at all. I see it as a duty."
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