The final presidential debate was filled with major talking points, and both candidates got their shots in. While certainly more orderly and civil than the first debate, things still got contentious.
Perhaps one of the most controversial issues America faces involves fracking — environmentalists and Democrats typically oppose it, while Trump and other Republicans are in favor of it.
Perhaps surprisingly, however, Democratic nominee Joe Biden said he “never opposed fracking.”
This definitive statement raised a few eyebrows and sent fact-checkers scrambling to confirm it. And the President was quick to call out Biden for his apparent misstep.
The exact exchange is as follows:
BIDEN: “I have never said I oppose fracking.”
TRUMP: “You said it on tape.”
BIDEN: “Show it on tape. Put it on your website.”
TRUMP: “I’ll put it on.”
Well, the President was true to his word.
The morning after the debate, Trump pinned a tweet that proved Biden had in fact denounced fracking:
Here you go @JoeBiden! pic.twitter.com/UBqPJT85Pt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2020
During the clip, Biden clearly says fracking would be “eliminated” in one interview, and in another, he says “no more, no new fracking.”
He even says at one point that “we’re going to end fossil fuel.”
Perhaps most incriminating is the fact that the first clip in that video comes from the second Democratic Party presidential primary debate. That happened on July 31 on a very big stage.
And his “no new fracking” statement came in the final debate of the primary.
One would think Biden would remember saying these things, as they were quite recent and very prominent. Furthermore, there’s his running mate’s position on the issue:
Kamala Harris also once stated she’s “in favor of banning fracking,” as actor James Woods showed in this video on Twitter:
“I’m in favor of banning fracking.” – Kamala Harris on video. pic.twitter.com/698djLevUw
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 8, 2020
Now, there have been times when both Biden and Harris have attempted to hedge their bets on the topic. But there’s certainly plenty of footage of both of them standing up against fracking.
This may or may not come back to haunt Biden on election day.
Key Takeaways:
- During the final presidential debate, Joe Biden claimed, “I never said I oppose fracking.”
- President Trump refuted the claim, then put up a video on Twitter the next morning. The video clearly shows Biden den0uncing fracking and fossil fuel.
- The question is whether or not this misstep will cost Biden votes in November.
