The vice-presidential debate between Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence ahead of the United States presidential election scheduled for November 2020 was remarkably different from the first presidential debate held last week in terms of civility.
The debate, moderated by USA Today’s Washington bureau chief Susan Page lasted for around 90 minutes where issues like the coronavirus pandemic, economy, climate change, US relations with China, and racial bias within the law enforcement framework were discussed.
Given that both Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden and the current President Donald Trump, who is also infected with Covid-19 currently, are in their 70s, the vice-presidential debate this year was also seen as particularly important.
Unlike the cacophonous first presidential debate that saw phrases like, “Will you shut up, man?” and “It’s hard to get any word in with this clown,” being used, the contestants during the vice-presidential debate mostly avoided talking over each other – although Pence received criticism for talking well past his time.
Harris made a reference to her Indian roots during the debate, telling the audience about being the child of an immigrant mother, although she didn’t delve any further into her background. But social media users were quick to notice her gaze towards Pence and compare it with a “desi mother’s stare”.
Here is how Twiter saw the debate:
The way @KamalaHarris smiles while cutting throat during a debate is the equivalent of my moms death stare. You just know it’s about to get real. #DesiBlood
— Lilly Singh (@Lilly) October 8, 2020
every time she answers a question and looks in the camera i’m getting war flashbacks of my mom getting ready to kick my ass
— ♡ kiran ♡ (@_veryspicy) October 8, 2020
She talks to him the way I talk to my children when I'm angry but someone is watching
— Taffy Brodesser-Akner (@taffyakner) October 8, 2020
The smize of death. I stan. pic.twitter.com/zFQ8Vcy9Ra
— Joanna Robins🎃n (@jowrotethis) October 8, 2020
Another iconic moment during the debate was when a fly settled on Vice President Pence’s head and refused to move. Twitter user Timothy Burke pointed that it sat there for a good two minutes.
Total time a fly sat on Mike Pence's head: two minutes pic.twitter.com/PtI0rKSi5I
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 8, 2020
Metaphor alert pic.twitter.com/LlekD0yGvL
— Harry Siegel (@harrysiegel) October 8, 2020
.............................................................................................................................everyone, together: PRETTY FLY FOR A WHITE GUY
— tanvi (@Tanvim) October 8, 2020
There are already MORE THAN A HUNDRED "Fly on Mike Pence's head" Twitter accounts. pic.twitter.com/KrVmcONHsT
— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) October 8, 2020
Here are a few other reactions to the vice-presidential debate, as spotted on social media.
Kamala Harris is currently harnessing the collective energy of every woman who's ever been talked over, or talked down to, in a meeting.#VPDebate
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) October 8, 2020
Susan Page: Insightful question
— Tal Kopan (@TalKopan) October 8, 2020
Candidate: That’s a great question. Please allow me to answer it with a different answer I’ve memorized.
same energy #VPDebate pic.twitter.com/g7PinUZoHH
— alex (@alex_abads) October 8, 2020
Moderator: We need to move on.
— Keahu Kahuanui (@KeahuKahuanui) October 8, 2020
Pence: I’d like to go back [to 1950]. #fixedit #VPDebate
.@KamalaHarris is every woman in the workplace. pic.twitter.com/aYv6ZBttVJ
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) October 8, 2020
It's the raised eyebrow for me pic.twitter.com/rnBDnAc26f
— mattie kahn (@mattiekahn) October 8, 2020
there are bodegas with better security than this I’m crying https://t.co/kadOfZJvNB
— Ayo Edebiri (@ayoedebiri) October 7, 2020