US Vice President candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris debated in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah.

The discussion, moderated by USA Today's Washington bureau chief Susan Page, took place amid heightened sanitary measures amid reports of the COVID-19 outbreak in the White House.

Pence and Harris were separated by a distance of 3.6 m, at the request of the candidate for vice-president from the Democratic Party, a plexiglass shield was also installed between the opponents.

The past debate has already been commented on by the candidates for the presidency of the United States Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

"Kamala Harris, today we are all proud of you," Biden tweeted.

The current American leader, in turn, praised Pence's performance, while criticizing Harris.

Mike Pence is doing GREAT!

She is a gaffe machine.

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2020

“Mike Pence is doing great!

She [Kamala Harris] makes mistake after mistake, ”Trump said.  

On the bench

Recall that the current US Vice President Mike Pence in August accepted the nomination of the Republican Party as a candidate for this post in the upcoming elections.

For their part, the Democrats nominated California Senator, 55-year-old Kamala Harris, to the post.

In 2019, Harris competed with Joe Biden and other party members for the right to participate in the presidential elections from the Democratic Party.

At the same time, she harshly criticized Biden, accusing him of having connections with supporters of the ideas of racial segregation.

Harris subsequently dropped out of the race, citing financial difficulties. 

  • The White house

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  • © Uwe Kazmaier

Mike Pence came into big politics in 2000 - then he was elected to the House of Representatives from Indiana.

Pence, known for his right-wing conservative views, served as a congressman for 12 years.

It is he who owns the initiatives restricting foreigners from the right to work in the United States.

The politician also supported the American invasion of Iraq, voted against the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and actively criticized the Obama administration's course of "resetting" relations with Russia.

As governor of Indiana in 2012, Pence carried out the largest tax cut in state history.

The main function of the US vice president is to replace the head of state in the event of his death, inability to fulfill presidential duties or early resignation.

There have already been cases in American history when the people who held this position had to assume the powers of head of the White House.

Also, the vice presidency sometimes acts as a political springboard for the realization of presidential ambitions.

For example, Joe Biden served as vice president in the administration of Barack Obama.

In addition, the vice president acts as a confidant of the head of state and explains his course to the legislature and society.

At the same time, as political scientists note, the roles of American vice presidents in the history of the country were quite diverse.

“In one case, the vice-presidents played a purely decorative, formal role, in the other they really took part in governing the state.

For example, Bush Jr.'s Vice President Dick Cheney was considered the “gray eminence” who made the most important decisions.

If we talk about Harris and Pence, then they still have different political weight.

Pence is an experienced politician, and Harris has just embarked on this path, "said Yuri Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, in an interview with RT.

"Classic Debates"

American media and experts note that the debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence took place in a more relaxed atmosphere than the discussion of presidential candidates. 

“This debate was more civilized than previous ones, during which Biden and Trump insulted and humiliated each other.

Apparently, Pence and Harris took this experience into account and talked more about politics.

Their meeting resembled a classic political debate, and not fights without rules, "said Edward Lozansky, president of the American University in Moscow, in a commentary on RT.

During the debate, Pence and Harris touched on the hottest topics on the American political agenda, including the recent protests against police brutality.

  • Patient with coronavirus infection at a California hospital

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So, Kamala Harris condemned the murder of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd by police.

“We will never condone violence, but we must always fight for the values ​​we hold dear.

As a former prosecutor, I know what I'm talking about.

Bad cops harm good cops, ”she said.

In turn, Pence said that although he sympathizes with the Taylor family, he still trusts the American judicial system.

The politician did not agree with the prejudice against minorities on the part of law enforcement officers, and expressed unequivocal support for the police.

“I want everyone who puts on the uniform of the security forces every day to know that President Trump and I are on your side.

We shouldn't have to choose between supporting law enforcement, public safety and supporting our African American neighbors, ”the current vice president said.

The candidates also got into an argument over the tax return story of Donald Trump, who refuses to release tax data on his companies.

Recently, however, The New York Times received materials from anonymous sources, from which it followed that in recent years Trump's companies made negligible tax deductions, receiving tax deductions due to lack of profits.  

Kamala Harris noted that unlike Trump, Biden does not hide information about his finances.

In turn, Pence said that Biden's victory threatens to increase the fiscal burden, as he intends to increase taxes.

The American media drew particular attention to the fact that both candidates avoided direct answers to some questions.

So, Harris did not comment on the Democrats' plans for the Supreme Court.

Mike Pence, in turn, did not answer the moderator's question about what he would do if Biden wins the election and Trump refuses to peacefully transfer presidential powers.

“Well, Susan, first of all I want to say that I am confident in our victory in this election,” said Pence.

  • 2016 presidential election

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The candidates also touched upon the topic of the pandemic, which has already claimed over 200 thousand American lives.

Harris criticized Trump, making him responsible for what was happening.

“The American people have witnessed the greatest setback of a presidential administration in the history of our nation,” Harris said, commenting on the coronavirus situation.

Mike Pence parried this attack, saying that without the measures that the president took, the deaths could have been even more.

Pence also accused Biden of allegedly borrowing the ideas of the Trump team for his action plan.

“The truth is, if you read Biden's plan, you will see that it is terribly similar to what President Trump, myself and our working group have been doing all this time.

It looks a little like plagiarism, and Joe Biden understands something about this, ”said Pence.

Politicians also paid attention to Russian issues.

Thus, the Democratic Party candidate stated that Donald Trump allegedly trusts Vladimir Putin and not the American intelligence community in matters of "Russian interference" in the 2016 elections.

She also recalled a story that appeared in the media that Russia allegedly paid the Afghan Taliban for attacks on the American military, and Trump did nothing about this.

At the same time, the official departments did not confirm this information.

"Are of minimal importance"

Experts note that both candidates performed "at a very decent level", refraining from mutual attacks and insults.

However, the discussion cannot be called sensational either - by and large, the candidates presented the long-standing arguments of the Republicans and Democrats on the most significant issues.

  • Protests against police violence and racism in the United States

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“The candidates performed at the same level.

In this case, Pence behaved with dignity, did not allow insults towards Harris, and concentrated on criticizing Biden.

He has shown that he is an experienced politician, ”says Eduard Lozansky.

Yuri Rogulev adheres to a similar point of view.

“None of the candidates failed in the debate.

Pence has a lot of political experience, and Harris, as a former prosecutor, is also used to speaking in public.

Overall, however, this debate is of minimal importance.

In essence, nothing new was said, and the arguments of both sides have long been known.

The debate is interesting when there is a lively discussion.

But this year they look more like a formal ritual, ”concluded the expert.