Why did Vice President Kamala Harris hide her boss’s declining cognitive condition? Why does Donald Trump feel the need to demean those who disagree with him?
These are just a few of the questions voters in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties would ask if they were moderating Tuesday night’s debate between Harris and Trump. DVJournal reached out to political activists and average voters to find out what questions are top of mind when the two candidates meet in Philadelphia.
Local lawyer and conservative pundit Christine Flowers said she would ask Trump, “You have said that you would deport all of the ‘illegal aliens’ in the country. Please explain how you would do this, since during your administration, the rate of deportations did not significantly increase and, in fact, decreased with respect to the Obama administration?”
For Harris, Flowers would ask about abortion, faith and conscience.
“You sponsored the Women’s Protection Act, which would have stripped conscience protections for those who refuse to provide abortions due to their religious affiliation. Please explain what conscience exceptions you would provide for Catholic or other religious hospitals and organizations that refuse to perform acts which violate their conscience, and if you would not allow for any exceptions, how would you handle a legal challenge under the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause?”
- Chalfont resident Jamie Cohen Walker said she would ask Harris, “You had 3.5 years to implement policies to bring down inflation and protect our border. Why haven’t you?” She would ask Harris, “How could you possibly say Biden isn’t senile?”
“I would ask Mr. Trump why he feels it necessary to demean the other candidate rather than tout his own programs,” said lawyer Michael Shechtman, a Cheltenham resident.
“I would ask Vice President Harris, ‘You’ve spent most of 2023 and 2024 telling voters that inflation was under control, yet you now acknowledge it’s a genuine problem. Your first policy speech on inflation—your only policy speech to date—was ridiculed by economists and even The Washington Post. How are you going to bring down inflation—and why should we believe that you now have a plan?” said Guy Ciarrocchi, a writer and senior fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation, who lives in Chester County.
Pat Poprik, chair of the Bucks County GOP, said, “I would ask [Harris] that she stated in her recent interview that she has not changed her values. So, then, if she’s now saying she’s not going to oppose fracking; isn’t that changing her values?”
Elkins Park resident Jerry Fisher said, “Does putting tariffs on goods coming into America tax the other country or the people of our country?”
“I think that I would ask, ‘Do you feel that every American is equal under the law? And what does that mean in your opinion? And do you think that there’s a problem with the president of the United States being treated differently than me?’” said Roberta Lee of Cheltenham, an artist and author.
Dave Siegal of West Chester said he’d ask, “What is a woman?” That is a question that Biden-Harris Supreme Court appointee Justice Ketanji Jackson Brown was famously unable to answer during her confirmation hearing.
Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello said, for Harris he would ask, “Why in the last three weeks have you switched positions on basically all your left, progressive policies you promoted for the last 10 years to more conservative policies including building a wall on the southern border? Do you forget about how you bailed out rioters?”
Bala Cynwyd resident Noga Senderowitsch said that she would ask, “What will you do to bring the hostages home and (bring) the war between Israel and Hamas to an end ASAP? What is the timeline for this plan?”
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