The ‘audio earrings’ Kamala Harris didn’t wear during the debate barely even exist

With even Fox Information and senior Republican figures admitting that Vice President Kamala Harris gained Tuesday night time’s presidential debate, some supporters of former president Donald Trump are desperately looking for crumbs of consolation. Cue the predictable conspiracy theories.

A frequent chorus that has emerged from conservatives (however curiously, not Democrats) during the last decade or so is that their man’s opponent was carrying an earpiece throughout debates. These baseless accusations have been slung at President Joe Biden in 2020, at Hillary Clinton in 2016 and at Barack Obama in 2012. The speculation was debunked on every event.

In Harris’ case, conspiracy theorists have claimed on X and different social media platforms that her earrings had earpieces in-built. In quest of an earpiece that resembles pearl studs, these sore losers declared Harris was utilizing Nova’s H1 Audio Earrings.

The earrings are stated to have directional sound that is still audible solely to the wearer. Per their Kickstarter web page, they “are positioned on the earlobes and venture the sound from contained in the pearl straight into your ear canal.” Certain, they appear somewhat just like the pearl earrings Harris wore on stage however they are not the identical. Type bloggers have already recognized the pair of Tiffany earrings Harris wore to the talk and at earlier occasions (in addition to noting that she has worn a sequence from the identical assortment).

The primary hassle is that the Nova H1 Audio Earrings barely exist.

As Newsweek identified, the machine was a part of a Kickstarter venture that pale into the ether. The earrings aren’t that can be purchased anyplace on-line and by no means have been. Nova Merchandise, the corporate behind the marketing campaign, hasn’t logged into Kickstarter since Might 2023, and backers have posted on the web page asking for a standing replace on the earrings they have been imagined to obtain in trade for his or her pledge.

The URL for Nova Merchandise’ web site, as listed on Kickstarter, now redirects to that of one other firm, Icebach Sound Options. That web site showcases a pair of audio earrings with a distinct design and, within the wake of the talk, a message stating “particular version for presidential debates — quickly accessible to everybody” was added to the location someday between 7AM and 11:25AM ET, in response to caches on The Wayback Machine. That presumably tongue-in-cheek declare added hyperlinks to the CES 2025 web site.

Each Icebach and Nova’s web site’s checklist their area registrar as one Stephan Berendsen of BBG Leisure GmbH, an obvious cell video games developer based mostly in Germany. What such an organization has to do with audio merchandise or the US presidential election stays a thriller, however we have reached out to BBG — in addition to the Harris marketing campaign — for remark.

“We have no idea whether or not Mrs. Harris wore one among our merchandise. The resemblance is placing and whereas our product was not particularly developed for the use at presidential debates, it’s nonetheless suited to it,” Icebach Sound Options managing director Malte Iversen instructed Engadget in a press release, in what we assume is an try to money in on some sudden if uncommon publicity. “To make sure a stage enjoying area for each candidates, we’re at the moment creating a male model and can quickly be capable to provide it to the Trump marketing campaign. The selection of colour is a bit difficult although as orange doesn’t go effectively with quite a lot of colours.”

In any case, this looks like one other simple job for Occam’s razor. Harris nearly definitely didn’t put on an earpiece as a result of the earrings she wore look noticeably totally different and the product she’s accused of carrying would not exist. By the identical token, it is merely extra believable a seasoned politician can win a debate being extraordinarily well-prepared and able to throw an opponent with a notoriously fragile ego off their recreation with out requiring a group to feed them data through an earpiece.

The Nova H1 Audio Earrings present all of the basic indicators of being vaporware, proper right down to being proven off for the primary time at CES 2023, although maybe we’ll see a brand new model beneath totally different branding someplace on the present ground in January.