Fly on Mike Pence steals the show in vice presidential debate

10/08/2020 World


By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi |

Updated: October 8, 2020 5:16:11 pm


Vice President Mike Pence listens to Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, during the vice presidential debate Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo / Julio Cortez)

A rebellious housefly became the unlikely star of the United States Vice Presidential Debate after it perched on Vice President Mike Pence’s cropped white hair for several minutes during his showdown against Democratic contender Kamala Harris.

During the debate, Pence seemed unaware of the fly’s presence as he continued to diligently take notes and answer questions posed by the moderator. The insect that had perched on his head for just over two minutes, caused an avalanche of funny reactions on social networks.

A split television screen showed Harris staring at Pence while the fly was the center of attention, but it was not immediately clear if he saw it. A short time later, he disappeared, but his legend was only growing.

Shortly after the fly began to generate buzz online, former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden jumped on the train and tweeted a picture of himself with a fly swatter in hand. “Put $ 5 in to help this campaign fly,” he wrote. His campaign created a website, flywillvote.com, to register voters. Within an hour, he was selling a “Truth About Flies” fly swatter for $ 10.

The word ‘flies’ quickly became a trend on Twitter, and some users took it to the next level by setting up social media identifiers for the little bug. The fly has become the subject of hundreds of memes and jokes, shared just minutes after it landed on Pence’s head.

Several users also noted that his left eye looked abnormally red, leading some to wonder if he had contracted pink eye, or worse still, Covid-19, as pink eye is a rare symptom associated with the deadly infection.

While Harris and his team braced themselves for the sexist double standards that subject women to more scrutiny than men for their appearance, it was surprisingly Pence’s appearance that was the subject of discussion during the event.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris and United States Vice President Mike Pence participate in the 2020 vice presidential campaign debate held on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, October 7, 2020. REUTERS / Lucy Nicholson

Pence staff decided not to take advantage of the uninvited guest. In a post-debate call, senior advisor Jason Miller had a different animal in mind. “We had a deer stare in Senator Harris’ headlights tonight,” he said, the Reuters news agency reported.

Some Democrats took the opportunity to mention President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 infection. “The fly must be quarantined,” wrote Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Republican Senator Rand Paul had a different twist: “The deep state planted a bug in @VP. This illegal espionage is really out of control. “Stephen Colbert, host of” The Late Show “on CBS, suggested that by sitting on Pence’s hair for two minutes or so, the fly had a greater attention span than he did. Trump himself.

These are some of the main reactions to the fly on Pence’s head

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and keep up to date with the latest headlines

For the latest world news, download the Indian Express app.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

.

Tags

Designed by Tricksfast Solutions
© Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved