'Man Enough' ad video is not affiliated with Harris campaign

What's the claim?

A TikTok video claims that a comedy video is a real campaign ad released by the Harris/Walz campaign to appeal to young male voters.

In the TikTok video, American commentator Brett Cooper claims that Harris is aware of her declining poll numbers, especially among young men, and has supposedly launched an ad campaign to counter this. The ad presents men asserting their masculinity through references to bourbon, cooking, and their attitudes toward women, while Cooper offers sarcastic commentary on their statements.

An NBC News poll indicates her popularity has declined, while a Marist poll from October 16, 2024, shows her leading Trump by five points nationally. The poll also states that Trump leads Harris among likely male voters, while Harris has the advantage among women.

Cooper, in her video uploaded to her TikTok channel, highlights mixed online reactions, noting that while some women praised the ad, critics pointed out its unrealistic portrayal of masculinity. The TikTok video can be found archived here. 

Screenshot of the TikTok video. (Source: TikTok/Modified by Logically Facts)

The same video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: "This is a new Harris ad. Are you man enough? Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign has unveiled a new ad titled 'Man Enough,' aiming to engage white and black male voters in the run-up to the 2024 election." Archives of such posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshot of viral X posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the video was not produced by the Harris/Walz campaign but by writer, producer, and director Jacob Reed, and the video has a disclaimer at the end describing it's not affiliated with any political candidate.

What did we find

A reverse image search on keyframes from the video led us to a video uploaded on October 8, 2024, by TikTok user Jacob Reed (archived here). The caption read, "I'm man enough to fight a bear, eat a carburetor, and vote for a woman. How about you? #HarrisWalz #KamalaHarris #TimWalz #VoteBlue." The ad credited Reed as Executive Producer and included a team of writers, producers, and cast members, with production by All Trades Co. 

Reed, a writer, producer, and director known for his comedic work, has also stated in his TikTok bio (archived here) that he is a "comedy writer/director + visual artist." He also uploaded the same video to his YouTube account (archived here). Both TikTok and YouTube videos end with images of Harris and Tim Walz, alongside the words "MAN UP, GET INVOLVED AND VOTE." A disclaimer at the bottom states, "Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

Screenshot of the YouTube video from Jacob Reed's channel showing the disclaimer that appears at the end. (Source: YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

In a Substack post dated October 11, Reed wrote that he had directed the series of videos for Creatives for Harris, a group of advertising professionals creating content to support the Harris campaign.

Reed also noted that the ad had amassed half a million views on TikTok within 24 hours and been reposted by Vote Save America. Reed acknowledged that while the ad leaned more towards sketch comedy than a political message, the sentiments expressed by the men were true.

The verdict

An ad claiming to be from the Harris campaign is misleading. While it promotes itself as "Man Enough (Harris/Walz Ad)" with the slogan "MAN UP, GET INVOLVED AND VOTE," it was not produced by the Harris/Walz campaign; it was created by Jacob Reed, who included a disclaimer at the end of the video stating it is not authorized by any political candidate.