Kamala Harris is eligible for the presidency, despite false claims

The vice president is a leading candidate to become the Democratic nominee. (AP PHOTO)

What was claimed

Kamala Harris is ineligible to run for US president.

Our verdict

False. Ms Harris is eligible.

AAP FACTCHECK - False claims about US Vice President Kamala Harris have emerged online after she became the Democrats' likely presidential nominee.

Social media posts claim Ms Harris is ineligible to run for US president because she’s not a “natural born citizen”. 

This is false. The vice president was born in California and is eligible to run.

“Kamala Harris is not a natural born citizen”, one Facebook post claims.

“Article II of the Constitution specifies that "[n]o person except a natural born citizen...shall be eligible to the office of President."

It adds: “Her father was (and is) a Jamaican national, her mother was from India, and neither was a naturalized U.S. citizen at the time of Harris' birth in 1964.

“That, makes her not a "natural born citizen"—and therefore ineligible for the office of the President.”

One of the false claims doing the rounds on Facebook.
Kamala Harris was born in California, making her a citizen by birthright.

Dr. Kathryn Schumaker, senior lecturer in American Studies at the United States Studies Centre, told AAP FactCheck that “there is no legal basis for the truthfulness of such a claim”.

She points to the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution which states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside”.

“This unquestionably applies to Kamala Harris, who was born in California,” Dr Schumaker says. 

She adds that Article II of the Constitution does include the clause that the president must be a “natural born citizen”, which has been subject of disputed interpretations over the years. 

“But it clarifies that the president must be 'a citizen of the United States,' which Vice President Harris clearly is because she has birthright citizenship,” Dr Shumaker says.  

 “As someone who studies race and the law, it is unsurprising to me to see these claims pop up about a non-white candidate, as they did during the campaign and later presidency of Barack Obama.”

Dr John Hart, a US politics expert and former head of the Australian National University’s political science department, says the claim is “an absolutely absurd assertion”.

“There is no issue over her eligibility to be President. Where her parents were born is constitutionally irrelevant,” Dr Hart says.

Presidential candidates must also be at least 35 years old, and have lived in the country for at least the past 14 years.

Ms Harris is 59, having been born on October 20, 1964.

It’s also clear she has lived in the country for more than 14 years, having been district attorney in San Francisco from 2004 to 2011, attorney general of California from 2011 to 2016, and serving in the US Senate from 2017 to 2021 before becoming vice president.

One of the false claims circulating on social media.
Ms Harris did not say this meaningless phrase at a rally.

Other social media posts attribute a nonsensical quote to Ms Harris.

However, the purported quote is false and videos showing her saying the quote are manipulated.

“Kamala Harris Today is today and yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So, live today so the future today will be as the past today’s, as it is tomorrow," during a speech,” several Facebook posts read

“Please ... ! your going have (sic) this running the country God help us VOTE REPUBLICAN.” 

AAP FactCheck found a video of Ms Harris appearing to say this quote at a rally, but at a slow pace and with slurred words.

A reverse image search shows the original speech Ms Harris gave at a rally for in April 2023.

This video does not show Ms Harris saying the quote attributed to her, nor is it in the official White House transcript from the event.

Altered image purportedly showing Jeffrey Epstein with Kamala Harris.
Jeffrey Epstein's head (left) has been superimposed over Kamala Harris's husband.

A photo claiming to show Ms Harris smiling next to paedophile Jeffrery Epstien has also been posted online.

The photo has been manipulated.

AAP FactCheck did a reverse image search and found the original, which was taken by Getty Images and shows Ms Harris with her husband Douglas Emhoff at a dinner in Los Angeles in 2015. 

Other fact checkers have also previously debunked this claim.

The Verdict

False – The claim is inaccurate.

AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store