VP Debate 2020 - Susan Page

Good evening. From the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, welcome to the first and only vice presidential debate of 2020 sponsored by the nonpartisan commission on presidential debates. I’m Susan Page of USA Today. It is my honor to moderate this debate, an important part of our democracy. In Kingsbury Hall tonight, we have a small and socially distant audience and we’ve taken extra precautions during this pandemic. Among other things, everyone in this audience is required to wear a face mask and the candidates will be seated 12 feet apart. The audience is enthusiastic about their candidates, but they’ve agreed to express that enthusiasm only twice—at the end of the debate and now, when I introduce the candidates. California Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence. Senator Harris and Vice President Pence, thank you for being here. We’re meeting as President Trump and the First Lady continue to undergo treatment in Washington, after testing positive for COVID-19. We send our thoughts and prayers to them for their rapid and complete recovery, and for the recovery of everyone afflicted by the coronavirus. The two campaigns and the commission on presidential debates agreed to the ground rules for tonight. I’m here to enforce them.On behalf of the millions of Americans who are watching. One note: no one in either campaign or at the commission or anywhere else has been told in advance what topics I’ll raise or what questions I’ll ask. This 90 minute debate will be divided into nine segments of about 10 minutes each. I’ll begin a segment by posing a question to each of you. Sometimes the same question, sometimes a different question on the same topic. You will then have two minutes to answer without interruption by me or the other candidate. Then we’ll take six minutes or so to discuss the issue. At that point, although there will always be more to say, we’ll move on to the next topic. We want a debate that is lively, but Americans also deserve a discussion that is civil.

These are tumultuous times, but we can and will have a respectful exchange about the big issues facing our nation. Let’s begin with the ongoing pandemic that has cost our country so much. Senator Harris, the coronavirus is not under control. Over the past week, Johns Hopkins reports that 39 states have had more COVID cases over the past seven days than in the week before. Nine States have set new records. Even if a vaccine is released soon, the next administration will face hard choices. What would a Biden administration do in January and February that a Trump administration wouldn’t do? Would you impose new lockdowns for businesses and schools and hotspots, a federal mandate to wear masks? You have two minutes to respond without interruption.

Thank you, Senator Harris-

Thank you, Senator Harris. Vice President Pence, more than 210,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since February. The US death toll, as a percentage of our population, is higher than that of almost every other wealthy nation on Earth. For instance, our death rate is two and a half times that of Canada, next door. You had the administration’s coronavirus task force. Why is the US death toll, as a percentage of our population, higher than that of almost every other wealthy country? And you have two minutes to respond without interruption.

Thank you, Vice President Pence-

Thank you, Vice President Pence. Senator Harris, would you like to respond?

Well, let’s [crosstalk 00:07:53]-

You can have 15 more seconds, and then we’ll give the vice-president a chance to respond-

Thank you-

Thank you, Senator Harris-

Let’s give Vice President Pence a chance to respond. Vice President Pence, you have one minute to respond.

Thank you. Thank you, Vice President Pence-

Vice President Pence-

Thank you, Vice President Pence.

Vice President Pence, you were in the front row in a Rose Garden event 11 days ago, at what seems to have been a super spreader event for senior administration and congressional officials. No social distancing, few masks, and now a cluster of coronavirus cases among those who were there. How can you expect Americans to follow the administration…

How can you expect Americans to follow the administration’s safety guidelines to protect themselves from COVID when you at the White House have not been doing so?

Yes, thank you. Thank you, Vice President.

I’m sorry. Kamala Harris, Senator Harris, I mean, I’m sorry.

No, no, you’re Senator Harris to me. For life to get back to normal, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts say that most of the people who can be vaccinated need to be vaccinated. But half of Americans now say they wouldn’t take a vaccine if it was released now. If the Trump administration approves a vaccine before or after the election, should Americans take it, and would you take it?

Vice President Pence, there’ve been a lot of repercussions from this pandemic. In recent days, the President’s diagnosis of COVID-19 has underscored the importance of the job that you hold and that you are seeking. That’s our second topic tonight. It’s the role of the Vice President. One of you will make history on January 20th. You will be the Vice President to the oldest President the United States has ever had. Donald Trump will be 74 years old on inauguration day. Joe Biden will be 78 years old. That already has raised concerns among some voters, concerns that have been sharpened by President Trump’s hospitalization in recent days. Vice President Pence, have you had a conversation or reached an agreement with President Trump about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of presidential disability? And if not, do you think you should? You have two minutes without interruption.

I think we need to move on to the issue of vice presidency.

Senator Harris, let me ask you the same question that I asked her Vice President Pence, which is, have you had a conversation or reached an agreement with Vice President Biden about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of presidential disability? And if not, and if you win the election next month, do you think you should? You have two minutes uninterrupted.

Thank you, Senator Harris. Neither President Trump, nor Vice President Biden has released a sort of detailed health information that had become the modern norm until the 2016 election. And in recent days, President Trump’s doctors have given misleading answers, or refused to answer basic questions about his health. And my question to each of you in turn is, is this information voters deserve to know? Vice President Pence, would you like to go first?

Thank you, Vice President. I want to give Senator Harris a chance to respond to the same question I asked, which is, do voters have a right to know more detailed health information about presidential candidates and especially about presidents, especially when they’re facing some kind of challenge?

Thank you, Senator Harris. I want to give you a chance to respond, Vice President.

Thank you Vice President-

Thank you, Vice President Pence-

Thank you Vice President Pence-

That’s a good segue into our third topic-

… which is about the economy. This has been another aspect of life for Americans, it’s been so affected by this coronavirus. We have a jobs crisis brewing. On Friday, we learned that the unemployment rate had declined to seven point nine percent in September, but the job growth had stalled. And that was before the latest round of layoffs and furloughs in the airline industry, at Disney, and elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands of discouraged workers have stopped looking for work. Nearly 11 million jobs that existed at the beginning of the year haven’t been replaced. Those hardest hit include Latinos, Blacks, and women. Senator Harris, the Biden, Harris campaign has proposed new programs to boost the economy. And you would pay for that new spending by raising four trillion dollars in taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations. Some economists warn that could curb entrepreneurial ventures that fuel growth and create jobs. Would raising taxes put the recovery at risk? And you have two minutes to answer uninterrupted.

Thank you Senator Harris.

Vice President Pence, your administration has been predicting a rapid and robust recovery, but the latest economic report suggests that’s not happening. Should Americans be braced for an economic comeback that is going to take not months, but a year or more? You have two minutes to answer uninterrupted.

Thank you-

Thank you, Vice President-

Thank you, Vice President Pence, Senator Harris.

Thank you, Senator Harris.

Senator Harris, thank you.

Let me give you a chance to respond.

Thank you very much Vice President Pence. Once again, you’ve provided the perfect segue to a new topic, which is climate change. And Vice President Pence, I’d like to pose the first question to you. This year, we’ve seen record-setting hurricanes in the South. Another one, Hurricane Delta, is now threatening the Gulf, and we have seen record-setting wildfires in the West. Do you believe as the scientific community has concluded, that man-made climate change has made wildfires bigger, hotter, and more deadly and have made hurricanes wetter, slower and more damaging? You have two minutes uninterrupted.

Thank you [crosstalk 00:35:24]

Vice President Pence, I’m sorry, your time is up.

Thank you, Vice President Pence.

Senator Harris, as the vice president mentioned, you co-sponsored the Green New Deal in Congress, but Vice President Biden said in last week’s debate that he does not support the Green New Deal. But if you look at the Biden-Harris campaign website, it describes the Green New Deal as a crucial framework. What exactly would be the stance of a Biden-Harris administration toward the Green New Deal? You have two minutes uninterrupted.

Senator Harris just said that climate change is an existential threat. Vice President Pence, do you believe that climate change poses an existential threat?

Thank you.

Thank you Vice President Pence.

Thank you Vice President-

Senator Harris.

Thank you Senator Harris. Vice President Pence, let me give you just 15 seconds to respond because then I want to move on.

Thank you Vice President Pence.

I’d like to talk about China. We have as our next topic, we have no more complicated or consequential foreign relationship than the one with China. It is a huge market for American agricultural goods. It’s a potential partner in dealing with climate change in North Korea and in a video tonight, President Trump again, blamed it for the Coronavirus saying China will pay. Vice President Pence, how would you describe our fundamental relationship with China? Competitors? Adversaries? Enemies? You have two minutes.

Thank you Vice President Pence.

Vice President Pence, your time is up.

Thank you Vice President Pence.

Vice President Pence.

Thank you. Senator Harris, let me ask you the same question that I asked the vice-president. How would you describe our fundamental relationship with China? Are we competitors? Adversaries? Enemies? You’ll have two minutes uninterrupted.

Senator Harris, we’ve seen changes in the role of the United States in terms of global leadership over the past four years. And of course times do change. What’s your definition? We’ve seen strains with China, of course, as the vice president mentioned, we’ve seen strange with our traditional allies in NATO and elsewhere. What is your definition of the role of American leadership in 2020?

Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Harris. Vice President Pence, let me give you a chance to respond.

Thank you, Vice President Pence.

Thank you, Vice President Pence. I would like to give Senator Harris a chance to respond, but not at such great length, because of course there are other topics we want to talk about.

Yes.

Please go ahead.

Thank you-

Thank you, Senator Harris. This is such an important issue, but we have other important issues as well. And I want to make sure we have a chance to talk about-

15 seconds, because we’re trying to keep-

I’m sorry, Vice President, but you’ve had more time than she said so far-

I’m sorry, Vice President Pence-

Vice President Pence, I didn’t not create the rules for tonight-

… You’re campaigns agreed to the rules for tonight’s debate with the commission on president’s race. I’m here to enforce them, which involves moving from one topic to another giving roughly equal time to both of you, which is what I’m trying very hard to do.

So, I want to go ahead and move to the next topic, which is an important one as the last topic was, and that is the Supreme Court. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to open hearings on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme court. Senator Harris, you’ll be there as a member of the committee.

Her confirmation would submit the court’s conservative majority and make it likely open to more abortion restrictions, even to overturning the landmark Roe V Wade ruling. Access to abortion would then be up to the States. Vice President Pence, you’re the former governor of Indiana. If Roe V Wade is overturned, what would you want Indiana to do? Would you want your home state to ban all abortions? You have two minutes uninterrupted.

Thank you, Vice President. Your time is up.

Thank you, Vice President Pence.

Thank you, Vice President Pence. Thank you. Senator Harris, you’re the Senator from and former Attorney General of California. So, let me ask you a parallel question to the one I posed to the Vice President. If Roe V Wade is overturned, what would you want California to do? Would you want your home state to enact no restrictions on access to abortion? And you have two minutes uninterrupted.

Thank you, Senator-

Thank you Senator Harris.

Thank you, Senator Harris.

You’ve mentioned earlier, Vice President Pence, that the president was committed to maintaining protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but you do have this court case that you are supporting, your administration supporting that would strike down the Affordable Care Act. The president says, President Trump says that he’s going to protect people with preexisting conditions, but he has not explained how he would do that, and that was one of the toughest nuts to crack when they were passing the Affordable Care Act. So, tell us specifically, how would your administration protect Americans with preexisting conditions to have access to affordable insurance if the Affordable Care Act is struck down?

Yes, she’s-

Thank you. Senator Harris-

All right. Thank you. Thank you, Senator. Let’s go on and talk about the issue of racial justice.

Thank you, Vice President. In March, Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old emergency room technician in Louisville was shot and killed after police officers executing a search warrant in an aquatics investigation, broke into her apartment. The police said they identified themselves. Taylor’s boyfriend said he didn’t hear them do that. He used a gun registered to him to fire a shot, which wounded an officer. The officers then fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment. They say they were acting in self-defense. None of them have been indicted in connection with her death. Senator Harris, in the case of Breonna Taylor was justice done? You have two minutes.

Thank you. Thank you, Senator Harris.

Thank you, Senator Harris.

Senator Harris, your time is up.

Thank you, Senator Harris. Vice President Pence, let me pose the same question to you. In the case of Breonna Taylor, was justice done? You have two minutes uninterrupted.

Thank you, Vice President.

Vice President Pence, thank you. Your time is up.

Thank you, Vice President Pence. Vice President Pence, your time is up.

Senator Harris.

Vice President let me give you a minute to respond.

Thank you.

Thank you Vice President.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you. There is no more important issue than the final issue that we’re going to talk about tonight and that is the issue of the election itself.

Let me give you 30 seconds because we’re running out of time.

Thank you. Thank you Senator Harris.

These are points that you made earlier in the hour. And I want to talk about the election itself before we have to [crosstalk 00:41:13].

Thank you, Senator-

Thank you, Senator Harris. And I’d like you to respond first to the question on our final topic, the election itself. President Trump has several times refused to commit himself to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. If your ticket wins and president Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, what steps would you and vice president Biden then take? What would happen next? You have two minutes.

Thank you, Senator. Vice president Pence, president Trump has several times refused to commit himself to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. If vice president Biden is declared the winner and president Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, what would be your role and responsibility as vice president? What would you personally do? You have two minutes.

I’ve written all the questions that I’ve asked tonight, but for the final question of the debate, I’d like to read a question that someone else wrote. The Utah Debate Commission asked students in the state to write essays about what they would like to ask you. And I want to close tonight’s debate with the question posed by [Brecklin 00:47:29] Brown. She’s an eighth grader at Springville Junior High in Springville, Utah. And here’s what she wrote. “When I watch the news, all I see is arguing between Democrats and Republicans. When I watch the news, all I see is citizen fighting against citizen. When I watch the news, all I see are two candidates from opposing parties trying to tear each other down. If our leaders can’t get along, how are the citizens supposed to get along?” And then she added, “Your examples could make all the difference to bring us together.” So to each of you in turn, I’d like you to take one minute and respond to Brecklin. Vice president Pence, you have one minute.

Thank you, vice president. Senator Harris, what would you say to Brecklin?

Thank you, Senator Harris. Thank you, vice president Pence. Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

We want to thank also the University of Utah for its hospitality. And most of all, our thanks to all the Americans who watched this debate tonight. Again, our best wishes for a quick recovery to president Trump, the First Lady, and everyone who is battling COVID-19. The second presidential debate is next week on October 15, a town hall style debate in Miami. We hope you’ll join us then. Good evening.