Altered Video of ‘Death to America’ Chant at DNC Circulates

An Aug. 21 Instagram video shows a large crowd cheering for Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Chants of “death to America” can be heard in the video.

“Chanting ‘Death to America’ at the Democratic National Convention,” reads the on-screen text. The post garnered more than 900 likes in two days. Other versions of the claim were also shared on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.

The claims and videos are not authentic. The chant was digitally added to the footage of the convention. The audio originated from a video of a 2020 protest against police brutality.

Former first lady Michelle Obama expressed her support for Vice President Kamala Harris to a raucous crowd on Aug. 20 at the DNC. Despite videos showing the crowd chanting “Death to America,” these are altered and do not represent the true events of the convention.

The original video of Obama was shared on X by Grant Stern, executive editor of the liberal group Occupy Democrats. Neither Stern’s video nor footage of the speech captured by news outlets shows any such chant by the audience.

The chanting audio originated from a video shared on social media in August 2020, showing a large group of people, some in masks, marching down a street at night. Among those who shared the footage were former Donald Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington and conservative news outlet the Daily Caller, who both reported the video was captured at a protest in Oakland, California.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Lead Stories and AFP also debunked the claim.

Fact-check sources include: Grant Stern, Aug. 20, X post; Democratic National Convention (YouTube), Aug. 22, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention; PBS NewsHour (YouTube), Aug. 20, WATCH: Michelle Obama speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention | 2024 DNC Night 2; GoRevolt, Aug. 30, 2020, X post; Liz Harrington, Sept. 3, 2020, X post; Daily Caller, Aug. 31, X post; San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 29, 2020, Police fire smoke bombs and a stun grenade in noisy Oakland march, arresting more than 12 protesters.

Source: USA TODAY