By Miya Tanaka,
Republican Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic rival Sen. Kamala Harris clashed Wednesday over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and their country's standing on the global stage during their first and only debate ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.
The competition for the second-highest office in the United States has drawn widespread interest with 74-year-old Republican President Donald Trump diagnosed with the respiratory illness COVID-19 and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden aiming to become the oldest U.S. president ever on the day of inauguration at 78. The vice president takes over if a president is no longer able to serve.
Biden, vice president to former U.S. leader Barack Obama and a longtime senator, is widening his lead over Trump in national polls following last week's chaotic first presidential debate and the news that Trump had been infected with the novel coronavirus.
The 90-minute head-to-head kicked off with tense exchanges over the pandemic, with Harris, a 55-year-old prosecutor-turned-senator, saying that the American people have witnessed the "greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country," citing as evidence the coronavirus death toll that has exceeded 210,000.
Pence, 61, defended the administration's response, claiming Trump's early ban on the entry of travelers from China, where the virus was first detected, saved "hundreds of thousands" of American lives and asserting that a vaccine is on the way "in record time."
The vice presidential debate was conducted in a much more civil manner than the Sept. 29 presidential debate, which was dominated by interruptions and insults rather than in-depth policy discussions.
While both candidates dodged some questions, Harris, who is the first black woman and Asian American nominated to be vice president by a major U.S. party, went toe-to-toe with Pence on a range of issues including foreign policy.
Harris criticized the Trump administration for engaging in a trade war with China, saying the United States lost because it hit U.S. manufacturing jobs and farmers.
She said Trump's "unilateral approach to foreign policy coupled with isolationism," as seen in his withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, hurt the country.
"You've got to keep your word to your friends. You've got to be loyal to your friends. People who have stood with you, you've got to stand with them. You've got to know who your adversaries are, and keep them in check," she said.
"But what we've seen with Donald Trump is that he has betrayed our friends...and embraced dictators around the world."
Pence insisted that the Trump administration has "strengthened" alliances across the Asia-Pacific and has stood up to Beijing to address unfair trade practices and other issues, which he said Biden had failed to tackle during his decades-long political career.
"Look, lost the trade war with China? Joe Biden never fought it," Pence said. "Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China through -- over the last several decades."
"We are going to hold China accountable for what they did to America with the coronavirus," Pence said, supporting Trump's assertion that China is to blame for the global spread of COVID-19.
With a growing number of White House staffers testing positive for COVID-19 after Trump's diagnosis, extra safety precautions were taken for the debate in Salt Lake City, Utah, including the installation of plexiglass barriers between the two.
If Biden wins the November poll, Harris would make history as the first woman ever to serve in the second-highest office in the United States.
If Biden decided not to not run for a second term due to his advanced age, Harris could be well positioned to run atop the Democratic ticket in the 2024 presidential election.
Harris did not directly answer whether she had an agreement with Biden about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of presidential disability, only saying that she believes Biden asked her to serve with him because of their shared purpose of "unifying" the country that has been divided under the Trump administration.
Pence, meanwhile, evaded a question on what he would do if Trump is defeated and refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, as suggested by the president earlier.
Pence instead criticized how the Democrats have sought to overturn the results of the previous election that sent Trump to the White House.
He also echoed Trump's claim that mail-in voting, which is on the rise due to the pandemic, will create "a massive opportunity for voter fraud."
A CNN poll of debate watchers showed that more Americans thought Harris did a better job, with 59 percent saying she won and 38 percent handing a victory to Pence.
Candice Nelson, a professor with expertise on elections at American University, said she did not think there were winners and losers in the debate.
"I don't think it's going to sway the election at all," Nelson said. "I thought both candidates did what they needed to do."
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