Hillary Clinton, the former Democratic presidential nominee, has issued a cautionary note to Kamala Harris, warning her of the potential for an unexpected, game-changing event in the final month leading up to the presidential election.
This event, often referred to as an October Surprise, could significantly impact the election's outcome.
According to Newsweek, Clinton, who suffered a narrow defeat to Donald Trump in the 2016 election, anticipates "efforts to distort and pervert Kamala Harris, who she is, what she stands for, what's she's done," as the November 5 vote approaches. During her appearance on PBS News, Clinton expressed her concerns about the potential for social media disinformation campaigns from foreign and domestic sources, as well as the rapid pace of the digital news cycle.
Clinton told host Margaret Hoover, "I anticipate something will happen in October, as it always does." She further warned of a "full-court press in October," where the digital airwaves would be saturated with stories. She highlighted the potential for these stories to be picked up by pro-Trump media outlets, which could then amplify their reach and impact.
Clinton's warning stems from her own experience in the 2016 election, where both she and Trump were subject to an October Surprise. On October 7, the "Access Hollywood tape" story was published, revealing Trump's lewd comments about women. Meanwhile, Wikileaks began releasing hacked emails from Clinton's campaign, suggesting she had received a debate question in advance and held contradictory views on trade deals.
Clinton also referenced the unfounded conspiracy theory that circulated during her campaign, alleging she was running a child trafficking operation from a pizzeria basement in Washington, D.C. This baseless claim led to a man opening fire in the pizzeria while "self-investigating Pizza Gate." Clinton emphasized the danger of such misinformation, stating, "This is dangerous stuff. It starts online, often by the dark web, it migrates, it's picked up by the pro-Trump media, it's then reported on by everybody else."
Clinton concluded her warning by stating, "I don't know what it's [this year's October surprise] going to be but it will be something and we'll have to work very, very hard to make sure that it is exposed as the lie that it is."
In a recent development, Clinton reaffirmed her controversial 2016 statement, referring to Trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables." She expressed regret over her choice of words, describing it as "bad politics," but maintained that the term "deplorable" was too lenient for the "hate and violent extremism we've seen from some Trump supporters."
The Harris campaign has yet to comment on Clinton's warning. As the election draws nearer, the potential for an October Surprise looms, underscoring the need for vigilance and fact-checking in the face of potential disinformation campaigns.
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