Biden campaign aide: Trump trying to distort former vice president’s position on oil

A top campaign aide for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said on Sunday that President Trump is “trying to distort” the former vice president’s position on oil. 

“Donald Trump is trying to distort Joe Biden’s position on this because he’s desperate to be running against anyone but Joe Biden,” Kate Bedingfield said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “That’s been true from the start of this primary.” 

WATCH: @KBeds says Joe Biden “is not going to end the fossil fuel industry. He’s going to end subsidies for the oil industry.” #MTP

Bedingfield: “Donald Trump is trying to distort Joe Biden’s position on this because he’s desperate to be running against anybody but Joe Biden.” pic.twitter.com/0aREbCnSXM

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 25, 2020

Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, defended the Democrat’s climate change plan, which has been targeted by Trump in the past several days. She was asked if Biden saying during the last debate that he would “transition away from oil” made it sound like he would not support the oil industry in the future. 

“Look, as Joe Biden said on the debate stage, he’s not going to end the fossil fuel industry, he’s going to end subsidies for the oil industry,” Bedingfield said. “He believes that your taxpayer dollars should go to education, Donald Trump believes they should go to Exxon.” 

Bedingfield also called Biden’s proposal a “jobs plan,” adding that it would make “significant investment” in carbon capture, sequestration and infrastructure. 

“He believes that we’re not only going to create new jobs, we’re going to maintain jobs. People are not going to lose jobs under a Biden administration.” 

Biden’s climate plan calls for no new drilling on public lands and would transition to net-zero emissions by 2050, which could limit the oil industry. During the debate last Thursday, Biden said he would “transition away from the oil industry.” 

“It’s a big statement because the oil industry pollutes significantly,” Biden said at the time. “It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.”

Trump immediately seized on the comment. 

“Will you remember that Texas?” Trump said. “Will you remember that, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma?”