Former President Donald Trump has announced that Vice President Kamala Harris has withdrawn from a planned debate on September 4, which was set to be hosted by Fox News. Trump, who has been critical of Harris throughout her vice presidency, expressed little surprise at her decision. He argued that Harris would face significant difficulty defending her record without the support of moderators who are more sympathetic to her positions.
Trump referred to Harris as “Comrade Kamala” in his statement, suggesting that her avoidance of the debate was a strategic move to sidestep challenging questions. He stated, “I’m not surprised that ‘Comrade Kamala’ is unwilling to attend the Fox News-hosted debate, as it would be ‘very difficult’ for her to ‘defend her record setting Flip-Flopping on absolutely everything she once believed in’ without the support of friendly moderators.”
Trump’s critique focused heavily on Harris’s shifting stances on key issues. He pointed to her 2020 campaign pledge to ban fracking on her first day in office, which she has since retracted. Trump suggested that this reversal was likely motivated by the potential negative impact on jobs in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state in national elections. “President Trump highlighted Harris’s 2020 pledge to ban fracking on ‘day one’ of a Harris administration—which she now claims she will not do, likely because it would destroy many jobs in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania,” Trump’s statement read.
In addition to her stance on fracking, Trump criticized Harris’s performance on border issues. He accused her of failing in her role as the informal “Border Czar,” a title she held when President Joe Biden tasked her with addressing the “root causes” of illegal immigration. Trump claimed that under Harris’s watch, illegal immigration reached unprecedented levels, and he labeled her approach as an “OPEN BORDER.” He remarked, “It’s called, and she LOVES IT, an OPEN BORDER.”
Trump also highlighted Harris’s past criticisms of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). During her tenure as a U.S. Senator, Harris compared ICE’s actions against illegal immigration to those of the Ku Klux Klan, a comparison she made while being one of the Senate’s most liberal members. This, according to Trump, further demonstrates her contentious stance on immigration and border security.
Despite Harris’s withdrawal from the Fox News debate, she is scheduled to face Trump in another debate on September 10, hosted by ABC News. Trump described ABC News as a “friendly outlet,” implying that the debate might be less challenging for Harris due to the network’s perceived favorable stance towards her.
Trump’s comments reflect ongoing tensions between his campaign and Harris’s vice presidency, underscoring the high stakes and intense scrutiny surrounding the 2024 presidential election. As the debate schedules continue to evolve, both candidates will likely face increased pressure to address their records and policy positions in the upcoming debates and public forums.
