Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) said Sunday that support for Vice President Kamala Harris would drop sharply as voters “take a closer look at her,” arguing that the Democratic nominee has so far failed to answer questions about her “radical positions.”
Cotton, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, was a leading candidate to be his vice presidential nominee before being overtaken by Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, the senator made false claims about Harris’ policy positions and claimed she hasn’t answered “a single question” from the press since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.
“What we all agree on is how disastrous it would be if Kamala Harris were president,” Cotton told host Ed O’Keefe. “She’s a dangerous San Francisco liberal who wants to do things like take health insurance away from the workplace and give it to illegal aliens because she wants to decriminalize illegal immigration into this country.”
These claims are either exaggerated or demonstrably false. Harris has pushed for universal background checks and an assault weapons ban, and supports climate policies to transition the country away from fossil fuels. And Cotton’s comments on immigration reflect a thinly veiled Republican rhetoric that links her limited role on border security to the claim that she was the Biden administration’s “border czar.”
The senator also refused to deny that Trump attacked Harris’ racial identity at a conference for black journalists, saying Trump never questioned whether she was black.
Cotton argued that despite Trump saying exactly that, “he didn’t say it didn’t matter how she characterized her race,” and that “he clearly said it didn’t matter. One was fine. The other was fine. They were both fine. She was labeled a dangerous San Francisco liberal. That’s dangerous to the American people.”
Cotton said Harris had avoided media scrutiny for two weeks, adding that despite her massive rallies and campaign schedule, she would not be able to continue until the November election. He did not mention that Trump refused to answer questions at the next presidential debate on ABC News on September 10, instead holding the debate on his own terms.
“When she has to face the press, and I’m sure you’ll argue that she should, she’s going to have to answer why she wants to eliminate oil and gas production in this country, why she wants to ban gas-powered cars, why she wants to confiscate private firearms,” he continued.
Harris insisted she would appear in the next debate even if she was the only candidate on stage.
“Donald Trump is scared to death and is trying to back out of a debate he has already agreed to, and they are running straight to Fox News to rescue him,” her campaign said after Trump’s comments. “He needs to stop playing games and show up for the debate he has already promised on September 10th.”
