The Vice Presidential Debate: A Recap
Flags weren’t the only things flying.
by CAROLINE DELISLE ★ OCTOBER 9, 2020
Okay, before we get started: yes, a fly landed on Mike Pence’s head. Yes, it stayed there for an unnervingly long time. Yes, it’s funny.
But the fly has gotten enough press coverage. Let’s unpack this debate.
Obviously the main concern of the public, moderator Susan Page of USA Today, and, as we soon saw, both candidates, was debate decorum. Page started off the night demanding, “Americans deserve a discussion that is civil.” It’s sad that last week’s presidential debate merited this reminder, but here we are.
A few preliminary differences between this debate and last week’s: first, the installment of plexiglass barriers shielding Kamala Harris and Pence—an amendment made after the coronavirus outbreak that occurred within the White House this past week. Second, the structure of the debate: nine segments approximately 10 minutes each, consisting of two minutes of uninterrupted speech from each candidate and six minutes of follow-up. Third, the segment subjects were not released ahead of time as they had been last Tuesday. And while most topics were predictable (corona, the Supreme Court, etc.), it was still an interesting look at a more candid response from the two potential VPs.
Coronavirus
Page began by asking Harris how Joe Biden’s response to the coronavirus outbreak would have been different from President Trump’s.
Harris wasted no time in expressing her contempt towards the Trump administration’s handling of the virus. She addressed that Trump and Pence were notified of the severity of the disease on January 28, and looked directly at the camera (a frequently used tactic in the Biden-Harris campaign thus far) as she said, “they knew what was happening and they didn’t tell you.” She said that, unlike the Trump administration, Biden has a plan, specifically revolving around increased contact tracing and ensuring the universal distribution of a free vaccine.
After Harris’ two minutes, Page turned to Pence and asked him, as leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, why the US death toll is the highest in the world.
Pence pointed out Trump’s speed in closing off travel from China, while Biden had opposed that decision. Pence claimed that the haste of that choice saved American lives and bought Americans time. This time, he argued, was spent reinventing testing, distributing supplies, and beginning the development of a vaccine. He echoed Trump’s sentiments from last week that there would be thousands of available vaccine doses by the end of this year.
Segueing slightly to the president’s current medical condition, Page asked Pence about the Rose Garden event (to which a recent outbreak has been traced) where he was not abiding to social distancing protocols and not wearing a mask. Page asked the vice president how he could expect citizens to abide by regulations if he himself would not.
Pence took the stance of individual autonomy. He said he trusted the people to put information and guidelines into practice for themselves and “to make choices in the best interest of their health.” He reminded the public that the event was outdoors and that those in attendance had undergone testing. Pence said that ultimately Biden is about government control, while he and President Trump are about respecting Americans.
Harris clapped back saying that truly respecting Americans would have been being upfront and honest about the severity of the virus back on January 28, even if it was a truth that people did not want to hear.
Page next shifted to the topic of a vaccine, and more specifically, Americans’ distrust of vaccines under rapid production. She asked Senator Harris if she’d be willing to take a vaccine that was procured under the Trump administration.
Harris said adamantly that she would so long as it were approved by health officials, and not solely the president.
Role of VP
Conversation was then directed to the role of VP. Page pointed out that both Biden and Trump would be the oldest president elected in US history if they were to win. She asked both candidates about if and what procedures are in place for if either potential president were to face any health crises while in office.
Neither Harris nor Pence directly answered the question. Pence instead circled back to the topic of a vaccine and chastised Harris for undermining the people’s confidence in a coronavirus treatment, saying, “stop playing politics with people’s lives.”
Harris did not explicitly say whether or not she and Biden had arranged a plan in terms of a health crisis, but she did list off her own past accomplishments and credentials, seeming to insinuate that she is ready and qualified to take over as president in Biden’s hypothetical absence. She said overall, she and Biden shared the core value of “lifting up the American people,” and this value will be the driving force behind a Biden-Harris administration.
Presidential Transparency
The candidates were then both asked if a president’s health information is information citizens deserve to know. This question was in reference to the public’s lack of knowledge about Trump’s pre-existing medical conditions when it was released that he had tested positive for the virus.
Pence said that yes, it is the public’s right to know this information.
Harris agreed, pointing out that Biden has been transparent with the people about things like medical records and—we all saw it coming—tax records. She voiced concern over the fact that Trump is indebted $400 million, and how this could point to a conflict of interest for our commander-in-chief.
Harris was then asked about Biden’s plan to implement $4 trillion worth of new jobs and what this would mean for taxes.
According to Harris, Biden measures the economy based on the health and strength of its workers and their families, while Trump measures the economy based on how rich people are faring. She said Biden plans to invest in infrastructure, roads, bridges, clean air, renewable energy, research, development, and education. She said the pair planned on making two-year community college free and cutting student loan debts by $10 thousand for each debtor.
Economic Policy
Page then directed a question towards Pence about Trump’s economic policy, asking him if the American people need to brace for an economic recovery that could take over a year.
Pence chose to return to and address Harris’ previous claims. He said Trump’s tax cuts resulted in an increase of $2,000 in savings in taxes, and that Trump has regained 11.6 million of the 22 million jobs lost since the start of the pandemic. He accused Biden of wanting to raise taxes on citizens and “bury our economy under a $2 trillion Green New Deal.”
Harris responded saying, “this is supposed to be a debate based on fact and truth.” She said Biden does not plan on raising taxes for anyone who makes less than $400,000 a year, and claimed Biden is far more capable of dealing with a recession than Trump has proven to be, citing Biden’s hand in the nation’s recovery from the 2008/2009 financial crisis and the current dire state of the economy today under Trump.
Pence responded to this saying that Obamacare was a “disaster” and ultimately did Americans more harm than good. He also said that he and Trump do, in fact, have a plan for health care. This plan has yet to be released. He closed by saying that Biden wants to raise taxes and ban fracking which “is a recipe for economic decline.”
Climate Change
Page asked Pence if he believed that man-made climate change was the cause of worsening hurricanes and wildfires.
Pence’s response was that the air and water are the clearest they have ever been, and that Trump is committed to environmental conservation, saying, “President Trump has made it clear we are going to listen to the science.” (President Trump is quoted having said, “I don’t think science knows” almost exactly one month prior.) Pence then said environmental progress comes from a strong free market. He claimed that the US has reduced CO2 emissions more than any country still within the Paris Agreement. Below are a few stats on that. There are 197 countries currently in the agreement so we could not represent all of them on these charts, but we’ve included some of the key nations involved.
Credit: Our World in Data
Credit: Our World in Data
Credit: Our World in Data
For more statistics like these, click here. Pence wrapped up his statement saying there are no more hurricanes now than there were one hundred years ago, and that he and the president are always going to put American jobs first.
Page asked Harris about Biden’s relationship with the Green New Deal.
Harris started by disputing some of Pence’s assumptions about Biden’s policy plan. She reiterated that Biden does not plan on banning fracking; “Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact.” She projects that Biden’s plan will generate seven million more jobs than Trump’s, and that these jobs would revolve around clean, renewable energy. She asserts that Biden plans on dealing with climate change while simultaneously creating jobs, because climate change is “an existential threat to us as human beings.” Harris also said Biden wants to reach zero emissions by 2035 and re-enter the Paris Climate Accord “with pride.”
Pence questioned Harris as to why the Green New Deal is featured on Biden’s website if he claims to not be in support of it.
Harris did not respond to this directly, so we investigated Pence’s question ourselves and found that Biden does indeed reference the Green New Deal on his website, but as a foundation of principles rather than his plan of action. It is written on his site that the Green New Deal, “powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.” He then goes on to describe his own plan, with a different execution but similar foundation to the Green New Deal, which you can read for yourself here.
Foreign Policy
Page then switched gears to discuss the US’ relationship with China. She cited a video released by the president that night blaming China for the coronavirus, then asked Pence how he would describe Trump’s relationship with China.
The vice president commemorated Trump’s work to spearhead the USMCA, a trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico, and said Harris was one of 10 senators to oppose this agreement because it did not prioritize environmental safety. Pence framed this as Harris putting the climate before American jobs.
He then addressed US-Chinese relations, “China is to blame for the coronavirus, and President Trump is not happy about that.” He said China’s lack of transparency allowed the virus to have its catastrophic effect on the global community, and said Trump is taking a strong stance against them, “We want to improve the relationship, but we want to level the playing field.”
Page then asked Harris how she would describe America’s role as a leading world power.
Harris described Biden’s approach to foreign relations as just that: relationships. She said Trump has betrayed allies and embraced dictators around the world, specifically citing his relationship with Vladimir Putin, and calling his isolationism and unilateral approach detrimental to American foreign affairs. She also reminded viewers of former President Obama’s actions against pandemics taken in 2014. View his 2014 speech here.
In response to the same question, Pence said the president’s strategy has been to be “demanding.” He said the Trump administration managed to punish ISIS for the torture, rape, and death of human rights activist Kayla Mueller—something Obama and Biden failed to do during their term. Pence reminded the forum that Trump was responsible for the 2019 raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who had a hand in Mueller’s torture and ultimate fatality. You can learn more about Mueller’s story here.
Supreme Court
Page asked Pence about potential Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s stance against abortion. She said that if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, power would befall each state individually to determine the legality of abortions, and she asked Pence how he would hope his home state of Indiana would rule.
Pence did not answer the question directly, but rather expressed his enthusiasm for Barrett’s nomination and his wishes for her to have a fair and speedy hearing without any attacks or judgements on her Christian faith.
Harris took offense to Pence’s accusation that she or Biden would criticize Barrett’s faith, as she said they are both people of faith. Biden, if elected, would be the second practicing Catholic in American history to ever hold office. Harris then echoed Biden’s sentiments from last week’s debate that the people should elect a president to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat, and the appointment should be delayed until after November 3 to allow this to happen. Harris addressed abortion directly, saying that if a woman were to choose to get an abortion, “it should be her decision, and not that of Donald Trump and the Vice President Michael Pence.
Pence then explicitly said, “I am pro-life. I don’t apologize for it,” and went on to say that Biden and Harris support tax payers paying for abortions. He then asked Harris about whether she and Biden plan to pack the courts if Barrett were to be instated.
Harris did not give a straight response to this, but reiterated that she felt President Trump should wait until after the presidential election to appoint a Supreme Court justice. “Joe and I are very clear: the American people are voting right now. And it should be their decision about who will serve on this most important body for a lifetime.” Despite claims of being “very clear,” neither Harris nor Biden have answered questions regarding plans to pack the Court.
Racial Justice
Page asked both candidates whether justice was served at Breonna Taylor’s hearing where none of the officers were indicted in connection with her death.
Harris was first to respond, and said she felt that justice was not served. “We need reform of our policing in America and our criminal justice system.” She listed the required registry of police officers who break the law, getting rid of private prisons and cash bail, and decriminalizing marijuana as a few of these reforms.
Pence said that, while there was no excuse for what happened to Taylor and George Floyd, “there’s also no excuse for the rioting and looting that followed.” He also made the argument that it is insulting to those who serve in law enforcement to accuse them of having implicit biases towards minorities. He asserted that he and President Trump stand with law enforcement.
This is also the point in the debate when the infamous fly landed on the vice president’s head.
Harris referenced her own history working in the criminal justice system as California’s attorney general, and reminded viewers that Trump failed to condemn white supremacy during the presidential debate.
Pence rebutted that Black citizens were disproportionately incarcerated under Harris when she was a prosecutor. He also argued that Harris omitted Trump’s condemning of neo-Nazis and white supremacists after the events in Charlottesville.
The Election
Page took a different approach to the hot-button topic of Trump’s threats to challenge the debate results if he were to lose. Instead of confronting Pence, she asked Harris how she would handle this circumstance.
The senator promised that she and Biden have “a deep-seeded commitment to fight for our democracy.” She then reflected Biden by turning to the camera and directing the public to vote, saying, “if we use our voice, we will win, and we will not let anyone subvert our democracy.”
Pence refuted this, saying Trump would win in 2020 like he did in 2016. (Another note: President Trump actually lost the popular vote in his race against Hilary Clinton.) He then accused Democrats of spending “the last three and a half years trying to overturn the results of the last election,” despite having found that there was no obstruction in the validity of the results. What will be an obstruction, he argued, is mail-in voting.
Closing Question
Susan Page ended her questioning on a more sentimental note. She read a question from eighth-grader Brecklyn Brown, who asked, “if our leaders can’t get along, how are the citizens supposed to get along?”
Vice President Pence commended Brecklyn for taking interest in the public, and urged her not to equate the current tension in the country with all American people. He offered the example of the late justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, who differed significantly on their political views but could see beyond this and formed a close friendship. “Brecklyn,” he said, “I want to tell you that we’re going to work everyday to have a government as good as our people.”
Harris responded, “When I hear your words, Brecklyn, I know our future is bright, because it is that perspective on who we are and who we should be—that is a sign of leadership and something we should all aspire to be.” She then described Biden’s initial reasoning in his decision to run for president as one based on the growing hatred and division he has witnessed in the country over the past four years. She assured Brecklyn that, “Joe has a long standing reputation of working across the aisle and working in a bipartisan way. And that’s what he’s going to do as President.”
While this is certainly not saying much, the VP debate was undoubtedly an improvement from last week’s. Further insight was given into where the presidential and vice presidential candidates stand on prevalent issues including race, climate change, economic policy, and foreign relations.
To register to vote, visit flywillvote.com. USA Today’s full transcript of the debate can be found here. Tune in next Thursday, October 15, to watch Donald Trump and Joe Biden face off in their second of three debates.