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It’s been a chaotic few days since Donald Trump was hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus. But there is a chance that something is approaching an episode of normalcy in American politics on Wednesday, when the first and only vice-presidential debate takes place.
Democratic challenger Kamala Harris and Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence will face off in Utah, where organizers of the debate have been forced to take extra precautions after Trump and a growing number of his entourage suffered from Covid-19 shortly after the first of last week. presidential debate.
The coronavirus crisis is expected to dominate proceedings. Having downplayed the risk and impact of Covid-19 for months, Trump has continued to ignore medical advice even after his diagnosis, leaving the hospital Monday to return to the White House.
This is what you need to know.
When is the debate?
It will begin at 9 pm ET on Wednesday and will run until 10:30 pm ET.
Where is?
Salt Lake City, Utah, specifically at the Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah. In electoral terms, Utah is strategically unimportant. It’s a solidly Republican state that last supported a Democrat in 1964, and Trump, while unpopular in Utah, is expected to win there in November.
Who moderates?
Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief and biographer of former First Lady Barbara Bush.
In September, USA Today was forced to defend Page after it emerged that she hosted a “Girl’s Night Out” party at her home to honor Trump’s health official, Seema Verma.
Details of Page’s party, held in November 2018, emerged after a Congressional investigation into Verma.
USA Today said Page spent $ 4,000 of his own money organizing the event. The newspaper said the event was intended to honor both Republican and Democratic women, and was “well within the ethical standards our journalists are expected to uphold.”
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace faced much criticism after having the difficult task of organizing the first presidential debate, which turned into chaos when Trump repeatedly interrupted both Wallace and the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden. The vice presidential debate is expected to be more civilized.
What is the format?
There will be nine 10-minute segments, and each candidate will have two minutes to answer the opening question in each segment.
This should mean that more topics can be covered than in the presidential debate, which was divided into six sections.
What are they going to discuss?
Page has yet to reveal the topics, but coronavirus is likely to be at the top of his list.
On Tuesday, public health experts said Trump had put Americans in danger by saying people should not fear the coronavirus, while a no-mask event at the White House has been linked to several government officials who fell ill.
Pence, who served as the head of the coronavirus task force, is likely to be asked about the government’s efforts to combat the virus, which has now killed 210,000 people in the US.
Are there additional protections against the coronavirus?
The Biden-Harris campaign asked the presidential debating committee to take more protective measures after Trump contracted the coronavirus last week.
Harris and Pence will be 13 feet apart from each other, in the presidential debate, Biden and Trump were 7 feet apart, and there will be a Plexiglas barrier between the candidates.
Pence staff have scoffed at Harris’ push for tighter security measures.
“If Sen Harris wants to use a fortress around him, do it,” Pence spokeswoman Katie Miller told Axios.
The University of Utah held a lottery to decide which students would attend the debate. Less than 100 students will be allowed in Kingsbury Hall, and masks will be required.
How are Harris and Pence preparing?
Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor who ran against Harris and Biden for the presidency before Biden emerged as a candidate, assumed the role of Pence in a series of mock debates. Buttigieg, like Pence, is from Indiana, though the two are separated by eons politically and personally.
Harris, a former prosecutor, won rave reviews for her performance in an early Democratic debate, when she criticized Biden for his racial background.
Axios reported that Harris had similarly planned to go on the attack Wednesday, linking Pence to Trump and berating the couple for their response to the coronavirus, healthcare and more. The California senator apparently had “planned a bunch of anti-Trump zingers,” but given the president’s poor health, she will tone it down.
Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, has been helping Pence with his preparation for the debate, replacing Harris. Part of Pence’s preparation has been to develop ways to attack Harris “without opening up to criticism that he is acting disrespectfully or sexist,” according to NBC News.
How can I watch?
ABC, CBS, CNN, C-Span, FOX and NBC will broadcast the event, according to the presidential debates commission. The Fox News and MSNCBC news channels will also feature the discussion and it will be available on the websites of most of those channels.
Outside the United States, viewers can watch the debate on C-Span, a nonprofit bipartisan cable channel that televises government proceedings. C-Span will offer coverage on its website and YouTube channel.
The Guardian will also broadcast the debate, in addition to offering live coverage, fact-checking and analysis.
