Fact check: False claim Kamala Harris resigned as vice president

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY

October 17, 2022 at 11:49 AM·3 min read

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The claim: Kamala Harris resigned as vice president

It's been less than two years since Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president, but some social media users claimed the executive branch's second-in-command suddenly left her position in October.

“Kamala Harris Resigns In SH0CK after Biden’s 'Mandatory' Border Trip…Trump JAILS 'Corrupt' VP,” reads the title of an Oct. 11 Facebook post that includes a nearly 28-minute long video from Newsmax, a conservative cable network. The post received more than 38,000 views and 1,000 shares in three days.

But the attached video clip says no such thing – it refers to Harris as the current vice president. There have been no announcements that she resigned or intends to do so.

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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

Harris made appearances as vice president after purported resignation

The Newsmax video included in the Facebook post references Harris as the vice president and makes no assertion that she resigned.

One of its segments includes a conversation between Rob Schmitt, host of Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight," and Mark Morgan, the former acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Schmitt refers to Harris as the vice president when introducing a clip from her Oct. 10 appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers." In the interview with Meyers, Harris called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to send busloads of migrants to various places around the country, including her home in Washington, D.C., an “absolute dereliction of duty.”

Vice President Kamala Harris waits outside the Vice President's official residence on Sept. 16, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

In the Oct. 11 segment on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Schmitt and Morgan criticize Harris’ comments and the Biden administration’s border policy – and both refer to Harris as the vice president.

The White House website still identifies Harris as the current vice president. It has not published any news releases about a resignation.

More: VP Kamala Harris talks midterms, marijuana and abortion on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers'

Harris made several appearances in the days after she purportedly left office, including an interview with WDIV-Local 4 News in Detroit and a speech at the White House Accelerating Infrastructure Summit. In both cases, Harris was introduced as the vice president.

The second aspect of the Facebook post, which claims former President Donald Trump jailed Harris, is also baseless. Trump does not have the legal authority to jail anyone.

PolitiFact and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim Harris resigned as vice president. The video clip attached to the Facebook post refers to Harris as the current vice president. There have been no announcements that she resigned or intends to do so.