“The American people have witnessed the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” Harris said as the debate began at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
In response, Pence defended the US administration’s efforts to combat the disease, including Trump’s decision in late January to restrict travel from the epicenter of the pandemic in China.
“I want the American people to know that from day one President Donald Trump has put America’s health first,” he said.
The two candidates were 12 feet (3.6 meters) apart and had Plexiglas shields, a reminder of the pandemic that claimed 210,000 American lives and devastated the economy.
Wednesday’s debate, with the candidates engaged on a variety of policy issues, was a far cry from last week’s chaotic presidential debate, in which Trump repeatedly interrupted Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and the two men exchanged personal insults in a confrontation that was widely panned.
Harris went on the offensive on several fronts, attacking the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate the Affordable Care Act health care act and attacking Trump for allegedly paying $ 750 a year in federal income taxes. as president.
“When I first found out, I literally said, ‘You mean $ 750,000?'” Harris said, referring to a New York Times investigation. “And it was like, ‘No, $ 750.’
Pence tried to counter his attacks by turning his attention to the economy and fiscal policy, saying, “On the first day, Joe Biden will increase his taxes.”
The vice president also claimed that Biden would ban fracking and embrace the Green New Deal, a massive environmental proposal endorsed by the Liberal Democrats. Biden, however, has rejected both positions.
But like the presidential campaign, the debate, moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page, returned time and again to the pandemic and the resulting economic recession.
READY TO TAKE OFFICE
The age of the two presidential candidates, either Trump, 74, or Biden, 77, would be the oldest president in American history, added weight to the debate, and both Pence and Harris sought to show that they were capable of take office. Trump’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis has only made that issue more prominent.
The two candidates also vied for a seat in their respective parties; both are seen as future presidential candidates, whatever the outcome of the November race.
Biden leads Trump in national opinion polls and has a 12 percentage point lead in the latest Reuters / Ipsos poll of potential voters. Polls show the race will be tighter in some of the states that could determine the winner, although a Reuters / Ipsos poll on Wednesday showed Biden leading Trump in Florida.
Harris, who was on the most important stage of her political career, is a US senator from California chosen by Biden in August as his running mate. The daughter of immigrants, her father from Jamaica and her mother from India, Harris is the first black woman to be nominated by a major party for vice president, as well as the first person of Asian descent.
Pence, a former conservative radio host who debated then-Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine in 2016, is a former US congressman and governor of Indiana who has been a staunch defender of Trump during his tumultuous presidency.
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