Takeaways from the 2020 vice presidential debate
The Pence-Harris matchup featured a fly and both candidates evading moderator Susan Page's questions.
The vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City offered less chaos than the first presidential debate, but still had its fair share of question dodging and speaking over time limits Wednesday night. Here are 5 key takeaways:
1. On COVID-19
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris accused the Trump administration of knowing how damaging COVID-19 would be, but not telling Americans.
“They knew and they covered it up,” Harris said. “The president said it was a hoax. They didn’t have a plan.” This is misleading though, as Trump was referring to the Democrat’s criticisms of his administration’s response to the pandemic.
Vice President Pence also maintained at one point that the White House Rose Garden event in which 11 people tested positive for COVID-19 afterward was safe because people were tested for the virus. This is misleading as well, as testing is not enough to prevent the spread of infection.
2. On the Economy
Harris expressed concerns about Trump’s lack of transparency about his taxes, arguing that Biden has been very transparent, and it is still unknown to whom Trump owes millions of dollars. She also criticized Trump for enacting tax bills that benefit the top 1%.
Pence countered that on the first day of Biden’s presidency, he will raise American’s taxes, bury the economy under the Green New Deal, abolish fossil fuels and ban fracking, and put American jobs at stake. This is misleading, as Biden does not support a full ban on fracking, but only new permits for fracking on public land.
Pence also claimed that Biden will raise taxes for all Americans, but fact checkers found Biden’s plan will only raise taxes for Americans who make over $400,000 a year.
3. On the Environment
Pence argued that American land and air are the cleanest they have ever been, and said Trump will continue to listen to scientists about climate change as it affects wildfires and severe storms. This is despite the fact that Trump has repeatedly questioned the science behind climate change and has even mocked it.
Harris said the Biden/Harris stance on the Green New Deal is that through clean and renewable energy, over 7 million jobs will be created, and they will enter the Paris Climate Agreement with pride. However, Biden has repeatedly mentioned that he does not support the full Green New Deal, and only wants to use it as a “framework” for his own Biden plan.
4. On Abortion and the Supreme Court
Harris argued that the American people need to first fill the White House through the election of a president, and then the Supreme Court seat should be filled. On the other hand, Pence argued for a fair hearing for recent Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Pence accused the Biden administration of looking to add more justices to the Supreme Court if Barrett is confirmed, describing it as “packing the court.” Harris dodged the question.
5. On Racial Tensions/Racial Justice
In the case of Breonna Taylor’s death by police, Harris said she was not given justice.
“Her life was taken unjustifiably and tragically,” Harris said. “People around our country of every race, every age, every gender, marched fighting for us to achieve the ideal of justice under law. We must fight for the values we hold dear.”
Harris said she and Biden intend to reform policing in American, decriminalize marijuana, get rid of private prisons and cash bails. However, Harris has a history of overseeing the arrest and prosecution of thousands of people for marijuana and other drug offenses, many of which were young people of color.
Pence said in the case of Breonna Taylor, he trusts the grand jury process, and there is no excuse for the rioting and looting that occurred after the hearings of the killers of George Floyd. This comes in the wake of President Trump refusing to condemn violent white supremacist groups who act at these riots in the first Presidential debate, though.
Some interesting facts
According to CNN, Pence spoke for only three seconds longer than Harris.
More than 57 million people watched the debate across eighteen channels on television. About 37 million people watched the 2016 debate between Pence and Tim Kaine.
While talking about the different policies of the candidates on policing, many on social media noticed a fly land on Pence’s white head of hair. The masses on Twitter also questioned why one of Pence's eyes looked so red.
Image via C-SPAN