No, Kamala Harris didn't say Christians 'don't belong' at her rallies

Context

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has stirred controversy over comments she made at a recent rally in Wisconsin ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. A viral post on X (formerly Twitter) alleges protesters were escorted out of a church she visited in Georgia after they demanded to know why she allegedly said that Jesus Christ and Christians don't belong at her rallies. 

"Kamala Harris had police escort Christians out of their own church after they questioned her about statements claiming that Jesus Christ and Christians don't belong at her rallies," the post begins. It includes a photo of a woman pointing in the foreground and being escorted by a man with a large crowd in the background. 

Other versions of the same claim have circulated the platform, garnering over 7 million views. 

A reverse image search shows that the image in the viral X post originates from a TikTok video posted by someone who attended and filmed part of Harris' address at one of two churches she visited in Georgia on Sunday, October 21. In the TikTok video, a woman is seen being escorted out by a security guard while yelling and pointing, but what she is yelling is unclear. 

The latest backlash against Harris comes after viral claims that she kicked two Christians out of her Wisconsin rally for saying, "Christ is King" and "Jesus is Lord." However, the video and the transcript from the day indicate that Harris may have been responding to different comments yelled by someone in the crowd. And she never said that Jesus Christ and Christians don't belong at her rallies.

What we found

The controversy stems from comments Harris made at a rally held in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on October 17, 2024. Harris was giving a lengthy address about her campaign promises, which included comments about Roe v Wade—the right to abortion—being overturned. Her address was interrupted by loud yelling towards the back of the rally, to which she responded, "Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally. No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street."

The controversy centers on which comment Harris was responding to. Video footage from the back of the rally shows two protesters yelling, "Christ is King," and "Jesus is Lord," as security escorted them out. In the video posted by a journalist who attended the rally, Harris can be seen looking and responding in the direction of the protesters. While the protesters are audible in the video, the journalist adds that when he filmed it, he could not hear what the protesters were saying.

Screenshot of an X post by journalist Mark Meredith. (Source: X/Screenshot)

In other footage filmed closer to Harris, another protester can be heard yelling, "lies, lies," in response to Harris claiming it was Trump's intention for the Supreme Court justices appointed by him to overturn Roe v Wade. Harris then looks off-camera in the direction the voices are coming from and responds that they're at the wrong rally. The comments "Christ is King" and "Jesus is Lord" are not clearly audible. 

The official transcript of her address on the White House website states that a protester interrupted Harris's address with "Lies. Lies. That's a lie." Harris subsequently responded, "oh, you guys are at the wrong rally."

Screenshot of the official transcript of Harris' address. (Source: Whitehouse.gov/Screenshot)

At no point during her address did she state that Jesus Christ and Christians don't belong at her rallies. 

The verdict

A viral post claims that Christians were escorted out of a church after speaking out against comments Kamala Harris made in which she allegedly said Jesus Christ and Christians don't belong at her rallies. However, Harris never said this at her Wisconsin address. We have therefore rated this claim false.