Vice President Kamala Harris has been branded a faker over a photo of her chatting to Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's widow on the phone. 

The presumptive Democratic nominee shared the image on social media, explaining that she spoke with Yulia Navalnaya (pictured) on Thursday amid a historic prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.

Harris made the call, she said, because some of the detainees freed in the deal 'worked with Navalny to combat corruption and build a free, democratic Russia.' 'I thanked Yulia for her courage in continuing her husband's works and reaffirmed my commitment to stand with those fighting for freedom in Russia and around the world,' she added.

But some eagle-eyed users of social media criticized the 59-year-old vice president as a 'phony' for holding the phone to her ear as she spoke to the grieving widow. 'Why is it on "speaker-phone" but being held up to your ear... as though you're speaking on the phone through the normal speaker,' Nikki Villanueva wrote. The user added a Yoda-like reference: 'The gaslighting is "strong" with this one.'

Others likened the image to a cheap 'photo op.' 'It's so weird how Kamala puts a phone to her ear while on speaker,' another X user wrote, while a third posted: 'If the phone's on speaker, you don't have to put it to your head Kamala.' 'It's on speaker, Kamala,' a fourth person wrote on Instagram. 

The post marks the second time in less than a week that Harris has been mocked for the bizarre behavior. On Friday, the Obamas posted a video of them calling Harris to endorse her for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In the video, Harris could once again be seen holding the phone to her ear - even though the speaker phone button is pressed. 'The Obama's endorse Kamala in the most cringeworthy way,' one X user wrote. 'None of them can act, and Kamala goes from taking the phone call on speaker to holding it to her ear. We somehow can still hear the Obamas clearly. These people are dumb.'

Drew Hernandez also called the video 'poorly scripted events. 'Everything about Kamala Harris right now is synthetic,' he wrote. 'Who talks on speaker phone with the phone up to their ear?' Another X user said Harris was guilty of 'bad acting.' 'She is as fake as her laugh,' the X user wrote.

Even former President Donald Trump criticized Harris for the video, telling a crowd in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday that the 'radical left Democratic Party bosses have installed a puppet candidate to fight only for themselves.' 'She's totally scripted, owned and controlled by the donors and the power brokers who created her campaign, who rip off our government and make billions and billions of dollars,' the Republican nominee said, according to the Daily Wire. 

'Unlike her, I cannot be bought and I cannot be controlled. I have no interest in that. 'Because everything about Kamala Harris' rollout, it's phony and it's fake. 'Did you see when President Obama and Michelle called,' he continued, before mocking the phone call. '"Hello, hello, yes, what's this? Oh this is Michelle and Barack. Oh, so surprised to hear."' They got four cameras in front.'

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