Being in the public eye makes it almost impossible to avoid strange stories and wild rumors. For politicians, it gets even more intense because not only do everyday people and gossip sites talk about them, but so do their political enemies. Well-known figures like Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and JD Vance have all dealt with their share of rumors. Kamala Harris is no different.
Since the moment she climbed the political ladder, Harris has been the target of countless headlines—some curious, others downright negative. People have speculated about problems in her marriage and even questioned where she was born. Even though she lost the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump, her political journey didn’t end there. And sadly, neither did the rumors. Here’s a look at some of the most talked-about stories involving her in recent years.
One major rumor that’s circulated is that Kamala Harris has a drinking problem. Some reports claimed she appeared tired and slurred her words during a Christmas speech in Washington, D.C. The rumors really picked up speed in August 2024 when Trump’s campaign director, James Blair, tweeted that there were “a lot of rumors” about Kamala having a serious drinking issue, especially as the campaign heated up.
Supporters of Harris quickly came to her defense. One person responded to the tweet, saying people were taking quick video clips and twisting them, insisting she looked completely fine during the full speeches. Another supporter called out Republicans, saying they didn’t have anything real to use against her, so they were just making stuff up.
Still, the accusations didn’t stop. Donald Trump himself added fuel to the fire by saying, “Does she drink? Is she on drugs?” He didn’t provide proof—he just said, “I don’t know.”
Even after the election was over and Republicans won, some of them kept targeting Harris. When JD Vance was asked about adjusting to his new role as Vice President, he took a jab at her by saying, “Well, I don’t have four shots of vodka before every meeting.” He also made fun of the way Harris answered questions during her time as Vice President, saying it sounded like she needed alcohol to do it.
Another false claim that caused a lot of noise was the conspiracy theory about Harris not being eligible to run for president. Some people argued that because neither of her parents were born in the U.S., she shouldn’t have been allowed to run. Donald Trump repeated this idea in interviews, just like he once did with Barack Obama.
However, this rumor was completely false. The Associated Press did a fact-check and found her birth certificate, confirming that she was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. So yes, she was legally allowed to run for both Vice President and President.
Another part of her past that resurfaced during her political rise was her relationship with Willie Brown, a well-known Democrat and former mayor of San Francisco. Harris was 29 years old when she met Brown, who was 60 at the time. People started talking about them having an affair while he was still married, and some even claimed Harris was only with him to move up in her career.
But again, this wasn’t true. According to FactCheck.org, Brown had already been separated from his wife for more than ten years when he and Harris started dating. Even so, Trump brought it up again during a press conference in 2024. He claimed he knew Willie Brown well and said Brown once told him “terrible things” about Harris. Trump didn’t stop there—he even suggested that Brown played a big part in Harris’s rise in politics.
But Willie Brown pushed back hard. He said he never had such a conversation with Trump and that he had no bad feelings toward Harris. In fact, he warned Trump not to involve him in campaign talk and said he’d consider legal action if Trump kept dragging his name into political fights.
Harris’s personal life also became a talking point after she lost the 2024 election. Rumors started to spread that her marriage to Doug Emhoff was falling apart. Some reports even claimed that Harris blamed Emhoff for her loss in the election. There were also disturbing rumors about Emhoff’s past, including claims that he had an affair during his first marriage and had once slapped a former girlfriend. These stories painted him in a bad light, and people began questioning the strength of their relationship.
Despite all this, there’s been no confirmation that the couple is heading for divorce. Harris and Emhoff still appear together in public and post pictures of each other on social media from time to time. So while the rumors keep swirling, there’s no actual sign that they’ve separated.
In the end, Kamala Harris remains a powerful political figure, but like many others in her position, she continues to face a steady stream of gossip and unfounded claims. Whether it’s about her personal choices, her marriage, or her past, people will likely keep talking. But so far, she hasn’t let the rumors stop her.
