In a more moderate debate, Harris attacks Trump and Pence to defend him | 2020 U.S. elections

The coronavirus epidemic, the main topic of the night, has drawn harsh criticism of Trump and the current vice president, head of the government task force responsible for combating it.

“The American people have witnessed the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” Harris said, citing the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the United States.

In his defense, Pence said that, from day one, Trump put the United States first. “He did what no other president did, he banned travel from China and Senator Biden said it was xenophobia.” According to Pence, it saved thousands of lives.

Harris, however, called for other actions since the pandemic began and accused the presidency of hiding data from the population. “The president and vice president were aware of the dangers, including airborne transmission, and they did not inform the public.”

He redoubled his criticism when Pence was asked why government officials exposed themselves while attending an event on the White House lawn in late September, where many are believed to have been infected with the coronavirus, including President Trump.

“It was an outdoor event … President Trump and I have great confidence in the American people and their ability to put information into action on how to avoid contagion. We respect the people,” Pence said.

“Let’s talk about respecting the American people. You respect the American people when you tell the truth. You respect the American people when you have the courage to be a leader, talking about those things that you may not want people to hear, but they need to Hear so they can. protect yourself, “Harris replied.

The Democrat also said that his running mate has a plan in case he is elected and takes office before the pandemic ends. According to her, her administration will focus on “expanding contact monitoring and testing, administering the vaccine and making sure it’s free for everyone.”

The debate between vices, which normally attracts less attention, this year has become more relevant because of the role that the winner can play: be it Donald Trump, 74, or Joe Biden, 77, who leads the elections of the 3 of November. he will be the oldest president of the United States to date. In this way, many believe that there is a good chance that the vice president will take office.

Additionally, both Harris and Pence emerge as natural options for their parties to run for president in 2024.

However, they both avoided responding directly when asked about the health of their fellow racers and if they had conversations about the possibility of taking office. The two only said that both Biden and Trump are “transparent.”

Pence said that he will continue the transparency adopted by the president when reporting on his health during his Covid-19 treatment and Harris took the opportunity to accept new criticism: He said that Biden is transparent not only when it comes to health, but everything others in his long public life, while Trump hides data such as his tax and debt returns, recently revealed in a New York Times report.

“For everyone to understand, when we talk about debt, it means that you owe money to someone. It would be great to know who the president of the United States owes money to, the commander in chief, ”Harris said. “Because the American people have a right to know what influences the president’s decisions,” he joked.

When debating the state of the American economy, the two candidates discussed the tax cuts: Pence said Biden wants to stop the tax cuts, but Harris says the move would not be worth it for anyone making less than $ 400,000.

According to the senator, the health of the economy is based on the health of the worker and the family, but Trump “measures the economy by the number of wealthy people.”

The discussion on economics continued when the environment was discussed, when Pence said the current administration is proud of its data on the subject. According to him, Biden and Harris would return to the Paris Agreement, adopt the Green New Deal and prohibit the practice of fracking (a polluting method of extraction of gas and oil that is based on the injection of material under pressure into the subsoil, causing fractures), which “would end American families.”

In response, Harris claimed that Joe Biden will not ban fracking, and “this is a fact.” He also said that the Democrat intends to create jobs, and that millions of them will come from the use of clean and renewable energy. “Joe believes in science. We are proud to return to the Climate Accord. This administration has already removed the words Science and Climate Change from its website,” he added.

Also commenting on the relationship with China, the economic issue permeated the conversation, with Harris accusing Trump of losing the economic war.

“Losing the economic war with China? Biden never fought it!” Pence replied.

Still in China, the vice president repeated Donald Trump’s speech and said that the country, together with the World Health Organization (WHO), should be responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.

The two candidates also echoed Trump and Biden’s speeches when they discussed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, with Harris repeating that the next president-elect would do well to make the nomination, reflecting the wishes of the voters. , as extreme issues. importance, how Obamacare and abortion can be defined with the new composition of the court.