Amid the recent news of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest, former President Donald Trump reposted a doctored image falsely showing Vice President Kamala Harris with Combs with text questioning if she was involved in his alleged “freak offs.”
The image, which Trump reposted to his Truth Social profile, is an edited version of a 2001 photo of Harris with former talk show host Montel Williams, whom she briefly dated, and his daughter Ashley. The edit replaced Montel Williams’ face with a photo of Combs.
This is not the first time the Republican presidential nominee has posted a fake image in an effort to bolster his campaign. Trump has posted several AI-generated images, including some falsely depicting Taylor Swift and her fans endorsing him, and one of Harris speaking to a crowd of communists in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.
The Harris campaign declined to comment. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Combs was arrested on Monday. He was indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The indictment came after months of lawsuits filed against the rap music mogul. Cassie, a singer and Combs’ former girlfriend, sued Combs in November 2023, alleging physical abuse and rape. Combs denied Cassie’s claims and the two reached a settlement shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
The indictment detailed “freak offs,” which prosecutors said were hours-long and days-long sex acts in which Combs allegedly forced victims to perform. Prosecutors alleged that some of these acts involved commercial sex workers and the use of narcotics to keep victims “obedient and compliant.”
Both candidates have previously publicly interacted with Combs. In a 2020 X post, Harris praised Combs for a town hall he led on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on Black communities.
Old photos of Trump with Combs have received over 1 million views on X. Jimmy Kimmel also brought attention to Trump’s previous comments describing Combs on his talk show. Kimmel aired a clip of Trump calling Combs a “good friend of mine, he’s a good guy” in a 2012 episode of “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Others have used false media to undermine the Harris-Walz campaign. Microsoft identified at least three Russian disinformation actors that have targeted the campaign using fake videos. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump in July, shared a fake Harris ad that uses a manipulated version of the vice president’s voice.
