Vice President Kamala Harris is facing scrutiny following a recent town hall in Las Vegas, with reports indicating that a significant portion of the audience was not the undecided local voters the event was billed for, but instead paid attendees and individuals flown in by Univision. This town hall, part of Univision’s “Decision 2024” series, was held on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus and was meant to help Harris connect with undecided Latino voters ahead of the 2024 election.
However, investigative journalist Michael Tracey revealed in an interview with Glenn Greenwald that the authenticity of the event may have been largely manufactured. According to Tracey, only half of the attendees were genuine locals from Nevada. The other half, he claimed, consisted of “Rent-A-Crowd” participants and individuals flown in by Univision from across the country, including Florida, Wisconsin, and California—far from the undecided Nevadans originally advertised.
“There are plenty of people in Clark County, Nevada, who would have been more than happy to go and ask Kamala Harris a question,” Tracey said, expressing his disappointment over the event’s apparent staging. “This took things to a different level,” he added, explaining how today’s political events are increasingly choreographed to convey specific optics.
Further investigation uncovered that many of the rented audience members came from a company called FansOnQ, which specializes in filling seats and energizing audiences for events ranging from award shows to political town halls. While these attendees were instructed to cheer, clap, and react enthusiastically, Tracey noted that they were not allowed to ask questions, making their presence more of a staged performance than genuine interaction.
Perhaps most concerning was that several attendees Tracey interviewed after the town hall admitted they already supported Harris before the event. One participant even said, “I already knew I was going to go for Kamala before then, and now that just kind of solidified it.” This revelation directly contradicts the town hall’s description as a forum for undecided voters to question the vice president and learn more about her policies.
Univision has reportedly planned similar town halls for former President Donald Trump, who is also in the running for the White House. Although Trump’s town hall, initially set to take place in Miami, was postponed due to a hurricane, there’s no clarity on whether similar tactics will be employed for his event. Tracey voiced doubts that either town hall would embody the traditional spirit of a town hall, warning viewers to question the authenticity of such highly controlled political events. “The entire pretense of this town hall was a complete fabrication,” Tracey said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work with the Trump town hall, but I do know for sure that this one was built on false pretenses.”
As the 2024 election heats up, both Harris and Trump are depending on town halls and public events to win over key voting blocs. Yet, with revelations of staged audiences and rented crowd members, it’s clear that these tactics could backfire, potentially eroding voter trust at a time when genuine connection matters more than ever. For more details visit https://newsnotify.pk