Vice President Mike Pence and Sen Kamala Harris (D, Calif.) face Wednesday night in Utah in the only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election
The debate will be different, thanks to the plastic barriers that have been installed between the candidates to prevent the potential spread of the coronavirus.The candidates will also be seated at separate tables a little over 12 feet apart, according to the Commission on presidential debates
Harris and Pence announced negative COVID-19 test results on Tuesday Some critics have called on Pence to self-quarantine due to his proximity to White House staff who have contacted the virus, including the President Donald Trump But White House doctor Jesse Taylor Schonau said in a statement that Pence had not had close contact with anyone who tested positive this week and « has remained in good health with no symptoms of COVID-19″
After members of the Trump family refused to wear masks as they sat in the audience of the first presidential debate last week (which was strongly criticized by the debate moderator, the presenter of Fox New, Chris Wallace), the commission said it would remove anyone who flouts the mandatory mask on Wednesday
« You have to have a mask to enter this room, » said Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chair of the Committee on the President’s Debates on Wednesday morning. « If you enter the hall and remove the mask, you will be approached and asked to put the mask back on. If you don’t put the mask back on, you will be kicked out of the premises »
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The debate itself, which is expected to last 90 minutes, will be divided into nine different topics, each lasting around 10 minutes Unlike the first presidential debate, moderator Susan Page – the longtime bureau chief in Washington for USA Today – did not publish topics in advance
The Vice Presidential Debate will be broadcast ad-free on all major broadcast networks and cable news channels to an expected TV audience of 40-45 million people (2016 Pence vs. Virginia Sen Tim Kaine debate attracted a disappointing TV audience of 372 million people)
The vice-presidential debate between Harris and Pence is set to start at 9 p.m. EST and lasts an hour and a half
The debate will be broadcast live on all major broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS) and cable news networks (C-Span, CNN, MSNBC, Fox Business, Fox News) It will also be available to stream on a host of so-called « skinny » cable bundles, such as YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, AT&T Now, and FuboTV
The vice-presidential debate is moderated by Susan Page, longtime Washington bureau chief for USA Today and a telemedia probably best known for her regular appearances on shows like NBC’s Meet the Press and Washington. PBS Week
Page, 69, is the first print journalist selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates since then – James Hoge, editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, moderated the 1976 debate between Walter Mondale and Bob Dole, according to the Los Angeles Times
Page said last week’s chaotic first presidential debate between Trump and Biden, which included at least 128 interruptions by the president, inspired her to continue preparing for tonight’s showdown
« It didn’t change anything, but it kind of reinforced the idea that this is an event to be very, very prepared for, » Page said (to whom other?) USA Today
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« READ MORE: What a group of Pennsylvania voters thought about the first debate between Trump and Biden
The Trump and Biden campaigns have agreed to a total of three debates in the 2020 election Two remain on the schedule, awaiting Trump’s health and whether there remains a risk of infection after contracting COVID- 19
« I think if he still has COVID we shouldn’t be having a debate, » Biden told reporters on Tuesday evening, noting that his decision would be guided by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic, which is advising the commission Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday that he planned to participate in the remaining debates
Fahrenkopf said planning for the last two presidential debates is underway, but both events will depend on the president’s state of health as he recovers from the coronavirus
« It will depend on what the doctor says about [Trump] ‘s health, » said Fahrenkopf « We are concerned about our staff … we have a team of about 65 people working on these things So it will depend on the medical evidence and advice we will receive on whether it is safe to go ahead or not «
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Vice Presidential Debate Time, what time is Vice Presidential Debate, 2020 Vice Presidential Debate date
World News – United States – Vice Presidential Debate: start time, moderator, how to watch and broadcast face-to-face between Harris and Pence