VP Debate 2020: Pence dodges question on Trump's non-commitment to peaceful power handover if he loses
The vice presidential candidates of the two major parties locked horns in their only debate in this election season at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, on Wednesday, October 7. The debate, which was moderated by USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page, gained significance in the wake of President Donald Trump, 74, battling the coronavirus for which he tested positive last week.
His 77-year-old Democratic rival, Joe Biden, also has a medical history and the two septuagenarians' health conditions have made their respective running mates — Mike Pence and Kamala Harris — more important political players.
The two candidates faced each other from behind plexi-glasses and from a distance of 12 feet at the Kingsbury Hall, Nancy Peery Marriott Auditorium, and debated for a duration of 90 minutes. Both candidates responded to a variety of questions that the moderator placed before them.
Pence dodges actual question, says Trump will win again
Pence was asked about Trump's non-commitment to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the November 3 election and while he agreed to the commander-in-chief’s tone, he made it in a more measured tone. The 61-year-old former Indiana governor started off by reiterating his confidence that Trump will have the last laugh on the Election Day (although Trump himself has hinted at a long-drawn legal battle after the election).
He then spoke about the "movement" that the president has "launched of every-day Americans from every walk of life". He said the US was set to witness a repetition of the 2016 outcome since the people have seen Trump delivering on all fronts — the way the current administration has unleashed the American energy.
VP lashes out at Democrats, says they tried to overturn 2016 result
On the question of accepting the outcome of the next election, Pence criticized Harris accusing her Democratic Party of trying to overturn the result of the election of 2016 that he called "historic". Addressing the California senator, Pence said "it's amazing". He said when Biden was the vice president, the FBI spied on the campaigns of both Trump and him.
"There are documents released this weeks. The CIA actually made a referral to the FBI documenting that those allegations were coming from the Hillary Clinton campaign," Pence said, adding that the Democrats created a ruckus for the most part of Trump’s first term. He also gave a clean chit to Trump over the issue of the investigation into Russian election interference — saying the probe found "no obstruction" and "no collusion".
The vice president also lashed out at the opponents for trying to impeach Trump "over a phone call" and targeted Clinton over her recent advice to Biden that the latter should not concede under any circumstances. Like Trump, Pence also criticized the idea of mail-in ballots saying it would lead to election fraud.
Pence said he along with Trump are fighting the opponents every day from changing the rules and added: "If we have a free and fair election, we'll have confidence in it. And I know and believe that President Donald Trump will be re-elected for four more years." Pence, however, did not give a clear reply to the question that was asked to him over Trump's non-commitment to a peaceful transition of power.