by Sharon Rondeau
(Aug. 20, 2024) — At an August 8 press conference at Mar-a-Lago, 45th President and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump proffered three dates he could be available to debate now-Democrat presidential nominee Kamala D. Harris, who stepped into the role after Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21.
The dates Trump presented were September 4, 10 and 25. Late Monday night, Trump wrote on TruthSocial that Harris declined the September 4 proposal, which would have been moderated by Fox News.
“Comrade Kamala Harris has just informed us that she will NOT do the FoxNews Debate on September 4th,” Trump wrote. “I am not surprised by this development because I feel that she knows it is very difficult, at best, for her to defend her record setting Flip-Flopping on absolutely everything she once believed in…”
Citing what he said were Harris’s “HORRIBLE Performance on the Border,” Trump revealed that in place of a debate, “I have agreed to do a Tele-Town Hall, anchored by Sean Hannity, for Fox. It will take place in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – Details to follow!”
Of late Fox News anchors and commentators, including Martha McCallum and Karl Rove on the latter’s 3:00 p.m. broadcast Monday, have been critical of Trump’s campaign style, which they say is not sufficiently specific to bring new voters to his side in November.
Harris and Trump have reportedly agreed to debate on September 10 with ABC News hosting, the same day ABC was to moderate the second debate between Trump and Biden prior to Biden’s exit.
After Harris became the new candidate, Trump objected to a debate with ABC, citing a defamation lawsuit he filed against the network and one of its chief anchors, George Stephanopoulos, for claiming in a March 10 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) a New York jury found him “liable” for rape in the E. Jean Carroll civil case when it did not.
The case is proceeding after ABC unsuccessfully sought to have it dismissed.
Trump apparently reconsidered his objection to ABC hosting.
Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are coveted by both presidential campaigns. As Trump noted in his Monday-night announcement, Harris once vowed to end the practice of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, to extract shale gas and oil from the ground to produce gasoline and other products. Fracking is a significant employment sector of Pennsylvania’s economy, particularly in the Pittsburgh area.
In 2020, the Commonwealth had 20 electoral votes, signifying it has lost population since then.
On November 2, 2023, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced an agreement requiring “increased disclosure of fracking chemicals and bigger setbacks for well pads around schools and hospitals, among other measures,” according to StateImpact Pennsylvania, a branch of NPR.
Prior to the governorship, Shapiro served as Pennsylvania attorney general, when he revealed that a two-year grand jury probe discovered “systematic failure by government agencies in overseeing the fracking industry and fulfilling their responsibility to protect Pennsylvanians from the inherent risks of industry operations.”
Shapiro reported that the grand jury interviewed Pennsylvanians whose health had been adversely affected by fracking, to include:
…many Pennsylvania residents who suffered severe health consequences and lived near unconventional drilling sites. Residents testified that their well water was “black sludge,” “cloudy,” and using the contaminated water caused “problems with breathing whenever we were in the shower.” Pennsylvania farmers testified that their livestock, which used the same water source as the families, would sometimes become violently ill, infertile, and die. Other residents spoke of problems with their air, which became so polluted from stray gas or other chemicals used during industry operations that they could not leave windows open or let their children play outside. Parents testified that their children would repeatedly wake up at night with severe nosebleeds caused by increased levels of gas in the air around the fracking sites.
Unnamed Harris campaign figures have suggested Harris no longer opposes fracking, although the candidate herself has not made a statement on the issue along with many others.
Harris made an unexpected appearance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago Monday night, with her nomination acceptance speech reportedly scheduled for Thursday, although the DNC schedule does not state it.
At a rally in York, PA Monday, Trump pledged to support fracking à la “Drill, baby, drill.” According to the York Daily Record, Trump “stayed on message” but “appeared to lose the crowd” about halfway through his 54-minute address. “At the 40-minute mark of his talk, those in the crowd appeared bored. Some were chatting amongst themselves. Others were staring at their phones,” the outlet reported.
Very astute! Kamala is unlikely to agree to any debate; and she doesn’t appear to like questions in general.