Politico alters headline calling Kamala Harris’ support for banning fracking a ‘Trump accusation’

Politico altered a headline that called Vice President Harris’ support for banning fracking a “Trump accusation,” despite her publicly expressing support numerous times for a ban during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

“Harris campaign pledges she won’t ban fracking after Trump accusation,” Politico’s original headline read, in a piece published on Sunday. 

Harris’ campaign has said that the presumptive Democratic nominee does not want to ban fracking. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has raised Harris’ initial stance on fracking at campaign rallies, calling the vice president out for her flip-flopping on the issue. 

“Trump’s false claims about fracking bans are an obvious attempt to distract from his own plans to enrich oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class,” the Harris campaign told Politico. “The Biden-Harris Administration passed the largest ever climate change legislation and under their leadership, America now has the highest ever domestic energy production.”

Politico changed a headline focused on Vice President Harris’ position on fracking. ((Photo by Montinique Monroe/Getty Images), Screenshot/Politico)

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After calling Harris the “the ultra-liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe, Trump added during a recent rally, “She wants no fracking. You’re going to be paying a lot of money. You’re going to be paying so much. You’re going to say ‘bring back Trump.’”

Politico’s report deemed Trump’s remarks on Harris’ previous stance “allegations” under the “Background” section of the article.

Politico’s report read, “Trump’s allegations come as Harris is expected to moderate her positions on energy issues after she had been one of the more liberal candidates running for the party’s nomination for the 2020 election.”

The report’s new headline reads, “Harris campaign pledges she won’t ban fracking.”

“The headline was changed to accurately reflect the Vice President’s evolving positions on fracking,” a spokesperson for Politico told Fox News Digital.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a rally to support local candidates on Sept. 3, 2022 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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The headline was criticized on social media.

CNN’s Andy Kaczynski wrote on social media that Politico’s framing was “bizarre,” as it was not an “accusation.” 

“She said it on record numerous times in 2019. The news is that she just recently changed her position publicly,” he added.

Harris also expressed support for the Green New Deal while running for president in 2020, which also would have banned fracking. 

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“There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” Harris said during a 2019 town hall on CNN as a presidential candidate. 

“And starting with what we can do on day one around public lands, right? And then there has to be legislation, but, yes, that’s’ something I’ve taken on in California. I have a history of working on this issue and to your point we have to just acknowledge that the residual impact of fracking is enormous in terms of the health and safety of communities,” she said at the time. 

In 2019, she also did a “slow-jam the news” skit with “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, where she said she would “get rid of fracking once and for all.”