Trump Claims ‘Comrade Kamala Just LOST Pennsylvania’ Over Fracking Ban Video
Ben Gray/The AP
Former President Donald Trump took to social media early Monday morning, declaring that a resurfaced video would spell disaster for Vice President Kamala Harris in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania. Trump shared a Fox News report on Truth Social at 12:40 a.m., writing, “Comrade Kamala just LOST Pennsylvania!”
The Fox News report, which Trump referenced, highlighted a 2019 video of Harris appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In the clip, Harris called climate change “the single greatest threat facing our world today” and expressed support for policies such as the Green New Deal and a ban on fracking. This has sparked renewed debate as Pennsylvania, a state reliant on the natural gas industry, could be heavily impacted by any fracking restrictions.
Trump seized on the video, using it to argue that Harris’s past support for a fracking ban would cost her crucial votes in Pennsylvania. “Fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one” if Harris wins the presidency, Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks.
However, this is not new information. Harris’s stance on fracking has been well-documented, and she has since clarified her position. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Harris refuted Trump’s assertions, stating, “What I have seen is that we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.” Harris emphasized that while her values on climate change remain steadfast, her approach to managing the energy sector has evolved.
Harris’s campaign has been working to communicate this nuanced position for months. Reports from Axios back in August indicated that while Harris supported a fracking ban during her 2020 presidential run, she has since shifted her stance to align with a balanced energy policy.
Polls from ABC News’ 538 show that Harris currently leads Trump by a narrow margin of 1.5 points in Pennsylvania, as of Monday morning, underscoring the state’s status as a battleground in the 2024 election.
In addition to the fracking debate, Trump reignited his attacks on Harris’s role as “border czar,” a position she took on during President Joe Biden’s administration. Trump blamed Harris for what he described as increased immigration, writing, “She is our ‘Border Czar,’ the worst in history, and has been for over 3 years.”
However, a PolitiFact fact-check clarifies that Harris’s role was to investigate the root causes of migration, not enforce border security directly. As the 2024 election looms, Pennsylvania remains a key state to watch, with both candidates vying for the crucial votes that could determine the outcome.
