“Kamala Harris wants to ban your gas stoves and stop you from eating red meat”: Donald Trump’s strategy in his race for the White House on climate change is simple.
Heatwaves and hurricanes follow each other this summer of election campaigning, yet it leaves little room for climate issues, favoring the names of birds through rallies and aggressive advertising campaigns.
After President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Donald Trump had to find a new offensive line, one of which was fueling misinformation online about the Democrats’ climate policies.
“Kamala calls for a reduction in red meat consumption to fight climate change,” the Republican candidate announced during a rally in Minnesota in late July.
“She wants to get rid of cows […] I imagine at some point she’ll attack humans too,” he added, echoing conspiracy theorists who accused the Democratic Party of wanting to “reduce population” following the vice president’s slip of the tongue last year, meaning “reduce pollution.”
JD Vance, a partner of Donald Trump, followed suit in Atlanta in early August, accusing Kamala Harris of a plan to ban gas stoves.
For Thanksgiving 2023, a photo of Kamala Harris and her husband in front of a gas stove at home gave food for thought to ultraconservatives on social networks. Ditto when the vice president said in 2019 that he “likes to eat a cheeseburger every now and then.”
“Proven Trick”
Although in favor of changing nutritional recommendations, the candidate never announced the abolition of gas stoves or a reduction in consumption of red meat.
“A tried-and-true tactic in politics is to make your opponent’s positions extreme and unacceptable,” says Edward Maibach of George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication.
Both Republicans are having a field day over the candidate’s stance on hydraulic billing, which is specifically used by the Republican-backed oil and gas industry to extract shale gas.
After speaking out against the practice during the 2020 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris recently dodged questions about it.
But in general, environmentalists have favored his stances, considered more to the left than Joe Biden, who pushed for the Inflationary Reduction Act (IRA), a broad program to promote energy transition. They also praise his record against oil companies as California’s attorney general.
“Nuclear Warming”
Asked by AFP, Kamala Harris’ spokeswoman Lauren Hitt did not respond to the Republicans’ attacks, but confirmed that the latter “want a future where all Americans breathe clean air, drink healthy water and have access to a safe and affordable source.” Energy.
The League of Conservation Voters, who advocate for the environment, called the Republican-led disinformation campaign a “ridiculous scare tactic” aimed at undermining “climate progress.”
Donald Trump, a staunch opponent of the IRA, has vowed to extract oil “at all costs” if re-elected and continues to question the threats associated with climate change.
“The big threat isn’t global warming, it’s that the oceans will only rise a few millimeters in the next 400 years,” he replied to Elon Musk, during which the X, Tesla and SpaceX bosses mentioned a possibility. A “more sustainable” future, especially thanks to solar energy without “demonizing” the oil industry.
Tech billionaire Donald Trump was not contradicted when he pursued the theory of “nuclear warming” while sidelining climate issues.
However, a recent survey suggests that only one-third of registered voters feel comfortable voting.
“Trump and Vance’s Attacks […] It can do them more harm than good,” says Eduard Maibach, a small group of undecided voters for whom climate change is important.
