Kamala Harris Had Earrings on During the Debate, but They Weren't Hearing Devices

Presidential debates probably should not be the only way that presidential candidates are evaluated. After all, the ability to speak extemporaneously does not necessarily make one a good president. As the 2024 presidential campaign has shown, though, debates can be revealing as to the faculties of each candidate, and what each of them is trying to communicate.

The first (and possibly only) presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was, by many accounts on both sides of the aisle, a fairly decisive victory for Harris. One way you can tell that Harris came out ahead is that those who support Trump have started complaining about the debate's moderation and, in some cases, even suggesting conspiracy theories that helped her on stage — including one about her earrings.

The conspiracy theory started after Alex Jones (who falsely suggested that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a false flag operation) shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Harris's earrings seemed to resemble earrings that double as hearing devices. The implication was that Harris was being fed lines throughout the evening and was not actually speaking extemporaneously. Of course, that suggests that her lines sounded so good that she couldn't have come up with them on the spot.

While it might be a comforting notion to suggest that Harris somehow cheated during the debate, there's no evidence that she did other than some folks on Twitter suggesting that her earrings look sort of similar to hearing devices (and we really have to stress that it's only sort of).

The actual earrings that Harris was wearing during the debate were expensive, but they didn't have any secret tech functionality.

The earrings appear to have come from Tiffany & Co and are called Double Pearl Hinged Earrings in Sterling Silver. They retail for $800, so definitely not a cheap accessory, but also not one with any electronic gizmos included. The only benefit they provided Harris was that they complemented the rest of her ensemble nicely.

If she had been cheating, it's unlikely that wouldn't have been discovered given the way that debates are closely monitored by press from across the country.

While the consensus seems to be that Harris won the debate, that doesn't by any means mean that she is going to win the election. Various polls suggest that this race is a dead heat, with both national and swing state polls suggesting that voters are evenly divided between the two candidates.

Given the closeness of the race, many felt that the stakes around the debate were quite high, which may explain why there's been such a massive reaction to it across the political spectrum. Harris and Trump were both looking for an edge, particularly with voters who are not yet decided on who they're voting for.

Harris's success or failure in the debate were entirely her own. It may be comforting to some to think that she is being controlled by someone else in another room. The reality, though, is that her answers during the debate were entirely her own.