Transcripts For CSPAN Presidential Debates Pence-Harris Debate 20240712

Susan good evening, from the university of utah in salt lake city, welcome to the first and only Vice President ial debate of 2020, sponsored by the nonpartisan commission on president ial debates. Im susan page of usa today. It is my honor to moderate this debate, an important part of our democracy. In Kingsbury Hall tonight, we have a small and socially distanced audience, we have taken extra precautions during this pandemic. Among other things, everyone in the audience is required to wear a face mask, and the candidates will be seated 12 feet apart. The audience is enthusiastic about their candidates, but they have agreed to express that enthusiasm only twice, at the end of the bait, and now, when i introduced the candidates. Please welcome california senator Kamala Harris and Vice President mike pence. [applause] susan senator harris and Vice President pence, thank you for being here. We are meeting as President Trump and the first lady continue to undergo treatment in washington after testing positive for covid19. We send our thoughts and prayers for them for the rapid and complete recovery, and for the recovery of everyone afflicted by the coronavirus. The two campaigns have agreed to the ground rules tonight. Im here to enforce them, on behalf of the millions of americans who are watching. One note, no one in either campaign or at the commission or anywhere else has been told in advance what topics we will raise or what questions i will ask. Will beminute debate divided into nine segments for about 10 minutes each. I will begin a segment by posing a question to each of you. Sometimes the same question, sometimes a different question on the same topic. You will then have two minutes to answer without interruption by me or the other candidate. Then we will take six minutes or so to discuss the issue. At that point, although there will always be more to say, we will move on to the next topic. ,e want a debate that is lively but americans also deserve a discussion that is civil. Times, butumultuous we can and will have a respectful exchange about the big issues facing our nation. Lets begin with the ongoing pandemic that has cost our country so much. Coronavirusis, the is not under control. Over the past week, Johns Hopkins reports that 39 states have had more covid cases over the past seven days then in the week before. Nine states have set new records. Even if a vaccine is released soon, the next administration will face hard choices. What would a Biden Administration do in january and february that a Trump Administration wouldnt do . Would you impose new lockdowns for businesses and schools in hotspots, a federal mandate to wear a mask . You have two minutes to respond without interruption. Sen. Harris thank you, susan. Well, the American People have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any president ial administration in the history of our country. And here are the facts. 0,000 dead people in our country in just the past few months. Closed. Ive businesses we are looking at front line workers who have been treated like sacrificial workers. We are looking at over 30 Million People who in the last several months had to file for unemployment. And here is the thing. On january 28, the Vice President and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were informed that it is lethal in quonset in consequence, that it is airborne, that it will affect young people, and that it would be contracted because it is airborne. Happeningnew what was and they didnt tell you. Can you imagine, if you knew on january 28, as opposed to march 13, what they knew, what you might have done to prepare . They knew, and they covered it up. The president said it was a hoax. They minimized the seriousness of it. Said if you are will on one side of the ledger if you wear a mask and you are on the other side if you dont. In spite of all that, today they still dont have a plan. They still dont have a plan. Well, joe biden does. Our plan is about what we need to do around a National Strategy for contact tracing, for testing, ford ministration of the vaccine and making sure that it will be free for all. That is the plan that joe biden has and that i have, knowing that we have to get a hold on what has been going on and we need to face our country, and joe biden is the best leader to do that, and frankly, this ministration has forfeited their right to reelection based on this. Susan thank you, senator harris. Vice president pence, more than 200,000 merck and have died of covid19s in february. The u. S. Death toll as a percentage of our population is higher than that of almost every other wealthy nation on earth. For instance, our death rate is 2. 5 times that of canada, next door. Had the administrations Coronavirus Task force. Why is the u. S. Death toll as a percentage of our population higher than that of almost every other wealthy country . And you have two minutes to respond, without interruption. Vice pres. Pence susan, thank you, and i want to thank the commission and the university of utah for hosting this event, and senator harris, it is a privilege to be on the stage with you. Our nation has gone through a very challenging time this year. But i want the American People to know that from the very first day, President Donald Trump has put the health of america first. Before there were more than five cases in the United States, all would return from china, President Trump did what no other american president had ever done. And that was he suspended all travel from china, the second largest economy in the world. Mightenator, joe biden have opposed that decision, he said it was hysterical. I can tell you, having led the white house Coronavirus Task force, that that decision alone by President Trump bought us in valuable time to stand up the mobilizationonal since world war ii, and i believe it saved hundreds of thousands of american lives. Because within that time we were able to reinvent testing. Within 100 million test have been done worldwide to date. There were millions of supplies or doctors and nurses had the support they needed. And we began before the month of february to start to develop a vaccine and to develop medicines and therapeutics that of been saving lives all along the way. Under President Trump, operation warp speed we believe we will have literally tens of millions of doses of vaccine before the end of this year. The reality is, when you look at the biden plan, it reads an awful lot like what President Trump and i and our task force have been doing every step of the way. And quite frankly, when i look at their plan, talks about advancing testing, creating new ppe, developing a vaccine. Likeoks a little bit plagiarism, which is something joe biden knows a little bit about. I think the American People know that this is a president who has put susan thank you, mr. Vice president. Vice pres. Pence we are proud of the sacrifices they have made to save american lives. Susan senator harris, would you like to respond . Sen. Harris absolutely. Whatever they claim the administration has done, clearly it hasnt done. When youre looking at over 200,000 dead bodies, american lives, families that are grieving that loss. Know, the Vice President is the head of the task force, and new on january 28 how serious this was, and then thanks to bob woodward, we learned that they knew about it, and then when that was exposed, the Vice President said when asked, why didnt you all tell anybody, he said because the president wanted people to remain calm. This is important. Mr. Vice president , i am speaking. I want to ask the American People, how calm review when you are panicked about or youre going to get your next roll of toilet paper . How calm were you when your kids were sent home from school and you did know when they were going to go back . How calm were you when your children couldnt see their parents because they were afraid it would kill them . Susan lets give Vice President pence a chance to respond. I want all ofce you to know you will always be in our hearts and in our prayers. But when you see what the American People have done over these last statements hasnt worked, thats a great disservice to the sacrifices the American People have made. The reality, if i may finish, the reality is, dr. Fauci said everything that he told the president in the oval office, the president told the American People. President trump, i will tell you, has boundless confidence in the American People and he always spoke with confidence that we would get through this together. But when you say it hasnt worked, when dr. Fauci and dr. Birx in our medical experts came to us in the second week of march, the president if he didnt take the unprecedented step of shutting down roughly half of the American Economy come that we could lose 2. 2 million americans, thats the reality. They all say we did everything right, susan, we could still lose more than 200,000 americans. Believeican people, i deserve credit for the sacrifices they have made for the health of their family and their neighbors, our doctors, nurses, first responders. Im going to speak up on behalf of what the American People have done. Susan you are in the front row in the rose garden 11 days ago at what seems to be a super spreader event for Senior Administration and officials. You mask, no social distancing, now cluster of coronavirus cases among those who were there. How can you expect americans to follow the Administration Safety guidelines to protect themselves from covid you at the white house have not been doing so . Vice pres. Pence well, the American People have demonstrated over the last eight months that when given the facts, they are willing to put the health of their families and their neighbors and people they dont even know first. President trump and i have great confidence in the American People and their ability to take that information and put it into practice. In the height of the epidemic, when we were losing a heartbreaking number, 2500 americans a day, we surged resources to new jersey and new york and new orleans and detroit. We told the American People what needed to be done, and the American People made the sacrifices. When the outbreak in the sunbelt happened this summer, again come american step forward. But the reality is, the work of the president goes on. The vacancy on the Supreme Court in the United States has come upon us and the judge introduced judge Amy Coney Barrett. If i may say, at that rose are in event, with a great deal of speculation about it, my wife karen and i were there and honored to be there. Many of the people who were at that event were actually tested for coronavirus and it was an outdoor event, which all of our scientist regularly and routinely advise. The difference here is, President Trump and i trust the American People to make choices in the best interest of their health. And joe biden and Kamala Harris consistently talk about mandates, not just mandates with the coronavirus, but a government takeover health care, the Green New Deal all government control. We are about freedom and respecting freedom of the American People. Sen. Harris lets talk about respecting the American People. We respect the American People when you tell them the truth. You respect the American People when you have the courage to be a leader, speaking of those things you they may not want to hear, but they need to hear so they can protect themselves. But this administration stood on information that you if you had as a parent, knowing it you didnt have enough money saved up, now youre standing in a food line because of the ineptitude of an administration that was unwilling to speak the truth to the American People. So lets talk about caring about the American People. The American People have had to sacrifice far too much because of the incompetence of this administration. It is acting too much of the people that they would not be equipped with the information they need to help themselves to protect their parents and their children. Harris, for life to get back to normal, dr. Anthony fauci and other experts say that most of the people who can be vaccinated, need to be vaccinated. At half of americans now say they wouldnt take the vaccine if it was released now. If the Trump Administration approves a vaccine before or after the election, should americans take it, and would you take it . Sen. Harris if the Public Health professionals if dr. Fauci, if the doctors tell us that we should take it, i will be the first in line to take it, absolutely. But if Donald Trump Tells us we should take it, im not taking it. Susan Vice President pence, there have been a lot of repercussions from this pandemic to be in recent days, the president s diagnosis of covid19 has underscored the importance of the job that you hold and that you are seeking. That is our second topic tonight, the role of the Vice President. On of you will make history january 20. You will be the Vice President to the oldest president the United States has ever had. Donald trump will be 74 years old on inauguration day. Joe biden will be 78 years old. That already has raised concerns among some voters, concerns that have been sharpened by President Trumps hospitalization in recent days. Vice president pence, have you had a conversation or reached an agreement with President Trump about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of president ial disability . And if not, do you think you should . You have two minutes, without interruptions. Vice pres. Pence susan, thank you. I would like to go back susan we need to move on. Vice pres. Pence i would like to go back, because the reality is were going to have a vaccine in record time, in unheard of time come in less than a year. We have five companies in phase 3 phase three clinical trials. We are right now producing tens of millions of doses. The fact that you continue to undermine Public Confidence in a vaccine, if a vaccine emerges during the Trump Administration i think is unconscionable. Senator, i just ask you, stop playing politics with peoples lives. The reality is that we will have a vaccine, we believe before the end of this year, and it will have the capacity to save. Ountless american lives and your continuous undermining of confidence in a vaccine is just unacceptable. Let me also say, the reality is, you talk about failure in this administration, we actually do know what failure looks like in a pandemic. It was two thousand nine, the swine fluid arrived in the United States. Thankfully, it ended up not being as lethal as the coronavirus. ,ut before the end of the year when joe biden was Vice President of the United States, not 7. 5 Million People 60tracted the swine flu, million americans contracted the swine loop. If the swine flu had been as lethal as the coronavirus in 2009 when joe biden was Vice President , we would have lost 2 million american lives. Sayown chief of staff would last year that it was pure luck that they did Everything Possible wrong. And we learned from that. They left the Strategic National stockpile empty. They left an empty and hollow plan, but we still learned from it. Susan Vice President pence, im sorry, your time is up. Senator harris, let me ask you the same question, which is, have you had a conversation or reached an agreement with Vice President biden about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of president ial disability . And if not, and if you win the election next month, do you think you should . You have two minutes, uninterrupted. Sen. Harris let me tell you, first of all, the day i got the call from joe biden, it was actually a phone call asking you to serve with him on this ticket, it was probably one of the most memorable days of my life. I thought about my mother, who came to the United States at the age of 19, gave birth to me at the age of 25 and Kaiser Hospital in oakland, california. And the thought that i would be sitting here right now, i know, would make her proud. She must be looking down on this. You know, joe and i were raised in a very similar way. We were raised with values that are about hard work, about the value and dignity of public service, and about the importance of fighting for the dignity of all people. In a think joe asked me to serve with him because i have a career that included being elected first woman District Attorney of san francisco, where i created models of innovation for Law Enforcement in terms of reforms of the criminal Justice System. I was elected the first woman of color and black woman to be elected attorney general for the state of california, where i ran the second Largest Department of justice in the United States, second only to the United States department of justice. I took on everything from transnational criminal and his asians to the big banks that were taking a to forprofit colleges that were taking advantage of veterans. And of course now i serve in the United States senate as only the second black woman elected to the United States and. I have been a regular receipt of classified information but threats to our nation in hotspots around the world. Ive traveled the world and met with our soldiers in war zones, and i think joe has asked me to serve with him because he knows that we share a purpose which is about lifting up the American People, and after the four years that we have seen of donald trump unifying our country around our common values. President trump nor Vice President biden has released this detailed information that has become the norm until the 2016 election. In recent days, President Trumps doctors have given misleading answers or refused to answer basic questions about his health. My question to each of you in turn is, is this information voters deserve to know . Vice president pence, would you like to go first . Vice pres. Pence susan, thank you, and let me say him on behalf of the president and the first lady, how moved we have all been by the outpouring of prayers and concern for the president. And i do believe it is emblematic of the prayers and concern that have ushered forth for every american impacted by the coronavirus. But the care of the president received at walter reed hospital, and white House Doctors was exceptional. The transparency they practice all along the way will continue. The American People have a right to know about the health and wellbeing of their president , and will continue to do that. Grateful, andmely was more than a little moved by the broad and bipartisan support , and senator, i want to thank you and joe biden for your expressions of genuine concern. I also want to congratulate you, as i did in my phone call, on the historic nature of your nomination. I never expected to be on the stage for years ago, so i know the feeling, but the reality is, weve got an election before the American People in the midst of this challenging year and the stakes have never been higher. Susan i want to give senator harris a chance to respond to the same question, which is, do voters have a right to know or Detailed Health information about president ial candidates, and especially when they are facing this kind of challenge . Sen. Harris absolutely, and thats why joe biden has been so incredibly transparent, and by contrast, the president has not. Both in terms of health records, but also lets look at in terms of taxes. We now know because of great Investigative Journalism that donald trump paid 750 in taxes. And i first heard about it, i literally said, you mean 750,000 . 700 50. Ke, no, we now know donald trump os and is in debt for 400 million, just so everyone is clear, when we say in debt, it means you owe money to somebody. It would be really good to know who the president of the United States, the commanderinchief, owes money to, because the American People have a right to the what is influencing president s decisions, and is he making those decisions on the best interests of the American People, of view, or selfinterest . Transparency has to be across the board. Joe has been incredibly transparent come over many, many years. The one thing we all know about joe, he puts it all out there. ,e is honest, he is forthright but donald trump, on the other hand, has been covering up everything. Susan thank you, senator harris give it i want to give you a chance to respond. Vice pres. Pence i respect the fact that joe biden spent 40 years in public life and i respect your service as well. Sen. Harris thank you. A jobres. Pence he is creator, he has paid tens of millions of dollars in taxes. Payroll taxes, property taxes. He has created tens of thousands of american jobs. The president said those public reports are not accurate, and the president has also released literally stacks of Financial Disclosures that the American People can review, just as the law allows. The distinction here is that joe biden, 47 years in public service, compared to President Donald Trump, who brought all that experience four years ago has turned this economy around by cutting taxes, rolling back regulations fighting for free and fair trade. Susan thank you, Vice President pence. Thats a good segue into our third topic, which is about the economy. This has been another aspect of life for americans who have been so affected by this coronavirus. We have a jobs crisis brewing. On friday, we learned that the employment rate has declined to 7. 9 in september, with that job growth before the latest round of layoffs and furloughs in the Airline Industry and elsewhere, hundreds of thousands of discouraged workers have stopped looking for work. Nearly 11 million jobs that existed at the beginning of the year have not been replaced. Those hardest hit include tinos, blacks, and women. Senate latinos, blacks, and women. The Biden Campaign has proposed programs to boost the economy and you would pay for that by raising 4 trillion in taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations. Some economists warned that could curb entrepreneurial ventures that fueled growth and create jobs. Would raising taxes put the recovery at risk . You have two minutes to answer, uninterrupted. Sen. Harris thank you. On the issue of the economy, i think there couldnt be a more fundamental difference between donald trump and joe biden. Go biden believes you measure the health and strength of americas economy taste on the health and strength of the American Worker and the American Family. On the other hand, you have donald trump, who measures the strength of the economy based on how rich people are doing. Which is why he passed a tax bill benefiting the top 1 and the biggest corporations of america, leading to a 2 trillion deficit for the American People that they have to pay for. On day one, joe biden will repeal that tax bill. He will get rid of it. And what he will do with the money is invest it in the American People, and through a plan that is about investing in infrastructure, something that donald trump said he would do. I remember hearing about the infrastructure and i dont think it happen. Joe biden will do that. Its about upgrading our roads and bridges and also investing in clean and renewable energy. Joe is going to invest that money and what we need to do around innovation. There was a time when our country believed in science and invested in research and development, so that we were an innovation leader of the globe. Joe biden will use that money to invest in education. So for example, if folks want to go to a twoyear community college, it will be free. If you come from family that makes less than 100 to 5,000, you will go to a Public University for free, and across the board, we will make sure that if you have student loan debt, it is cut by 10,000. That is how joe biden thinks about the economy. Its about investing in the people of our country, as opposed to passing a tax bill which has a benefit of letting american corporations go offshore to do their business. Thank you, senator harris. Vice president pence, your administration is predicting a rapid and robust recovery, but the latest economic report suggest that is not happening. Should americans be braced for an economic comeback thats going to take not months, but a year or more . You have two minutes to answer, uninterrupted. Vice pres. Pence when President Trump and i took office, america had gone through the slowest theomic recovery since depression. President cut taxes across the board. Despite what senator harris says, the average American Family of four had 2000 in savings in taxes, and with the rise in wages that occurred, most predominately for bluecollar, hardworking americans, the average Household Income for a family of four increased by 4000 following President Trumps tax cuts. You just heard senator harris big one, joe biden is going to raise your taxes. Its really remarkable to think im a right after the time were going through pandemic that lost 22 million jobs, we have already added back 11. 6 moving jobs, because we have a president who cut taxes, rollback regulation, fought four feet free and fair trade, and secured 4 trillion from congress of the United States indirect payments to families, saved 50 million jobs through the paycheck protection program. We literally have spared no expense to help the American People through this. Joe biden and Kamala Harris want to raise taxes, they want to bury our economy under a 2 trillion Green New Deal, which you were one of the original cosponsors of in the United States senate. They want to abolish fossil fuels and ban fracking, which would cost hundreds of thousands of american jobs all across the heartland. And joe biden wants to go back to the economic surrender to china that, when we took office, half of our International Trade deficit was with china alone. The biden wants to repeal all the tariffs that President Trump put into effect to fight for american jobs and American Workers. Joe biden says democracy is on the ballot. Make no mistake about it, susan. The American Economy, the american comeback on the ballot, with four more years of growth and opportunity, former years of President Donald Trump, 20 what 2021 will be the biggest economic year in history of this country. Sen. Harris we saw i thought we saw enough of it in last weeks debate, but i thought this is a debates with post to be based on the facts and the truth. Joe biden will not raise taxes on anyone who makes less than 400,000 a year. Mr. Vice president , i am speaking. Vice pres. Pence the importance is the truth. Joe biden said hes going to repeal the trump tax cuts. It was tax cuts that gave the average working family 2000 in a tax break every single sen. Harris that is absolutely not true. Vice pres. Pence is he only going to reveal part of the tax cuts . Sen. Harris if you dont mind letting me finish, we can have a conversation. Joe biden will not raise taxes on anyone who makes less than 400,000 a year. He has been very clear about that. Joe biden will not in fracking. He has been very clear about that. Joe biden is the one who, during the great recession, was responsible for the recovery act that brought america back, and now the trumppence administration wants to take credit, when they rode the coattails of joe bidens success for the economy that they had at the beginning of their term. Of course come and now the economy is a complete disaster, but joe biden, on one hand, did that. On the other hand, you have donald trump, who has reigned over a recession that is being compared to the great this session the great depression. On the one hand you have joe biden, who is responsible, with president barack obama, for the Affordable Care act, which brought health care to over 20 million americans protected people with preexisting conditions, and what it also did is it saved those families who otherwise were going bankrupt because of hospital bills they could not afford. On the other hand, you have donald trump, who is in court right now trying to get rid of the Affordable Care act, which means that you will lose protections if you have preexisting conditions, and this is very important, susan. He interrupted me and i would like to just finish, please. If you have a preexisting condition, heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, they are coming for you. If you love someone who has a preexisting condition, they are coming for you. If you are under the age of 26 on your parents coverage, they are coming for you. Susan senator harris, thank you. Let me give you a chance to respond. I hope we havee a chance to talk about health care, because obamacare was a disaster, and the American People remember it well. President trump and i have a plan to for health care into protect existing conditions for everyone. Senator harris, you are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts. You have said when you were running for president that you would ban fracking. You andn pointed at said i guarantee that we will abolish fossil fuels. We have a two troon dollar version of the Green New Deal. , saidewspaper, usa today it wasnt that different from the Green New Deal. More taxes, more regulation, banning fracking, abolishing fossil fuels, crushing American Energy, and economic surrender to china is a prescription for economic decline. President trump and i will keep america growing, the vshaped recovery that is underway right now who continue with four more years of President Donald Trump. Susan thank you very much. Once again you provided the perfect segue to a new topic, which is Climate Change. Vice president pence, i will pose the first question to you. Hurricane delta is now threatening the golf. We have seen recordsetting wildfires in the west. Do you believe, as the Scientific Community has concluded, that manmade Climate Change is made wildfires bigger, hotter, and more deadly and has made hurricane sweater, slower, and more damaging . You have two minutes, uninterrupted. Vice pres. Pence first, im proud of our record on the environment and on conservation. According to all of the best estimates, our air and land are cleaner than any time ever recorded, among the cleanest in the world. Just a while ago, the president signed the largest investment in our public lands and public parks and 100 years. President trump has made a commitment to conservation into the environment. With guard to Climate Change, the climate is changing. The issue is, what is the cause, and what do we do about it . President trump has made it clear that we will continue to listen to the science. Joe biden and Kamala Harris have put us back in the paris climate accord, they would impose the Green New Deal, which would crush American Energy and would increase energy costs of American Families in their homes and literally crush american jobs. President trump and i believe that the progress that we have made in a cleaner environment has been happening precisely because we have a strong, free market economy. What is remarkable is, the United States has reduced co2 more than the countries that are still in the paris climate accord, but we have done it through innovation, and we have done it through natural gas and fracking, which, senator, the American People can go look at the record. I know joe biden says otherwise of, as you do, but the both you repeatedly committed to abolishing fossil fuel and banning fracking. So by creating the kind of innovation we are steering toward a stronger and better environment. Just remember, wildfires, President Trump and i leave Forest Management has to be front and center and even gavin newsom agrees we have to work on Forest Management. With regard to hurricanes, the National Oceanic and ministration tells us that actually there there are no more hurricanes today than there were 100 years ago. Susan thank you. Im sorry, your time is up. Thank you, Vice President trump. Vice pres. Pence President Trump and i will always put american jobs and American Workers first. Susan as a Vice President mention, you cosponsored the Green New Deal in congress. Not president said he does support the Green New Deal. If you look at the bidenharris website, it describes the Green New Deal as a crucial framework. What exactly would be the stance of a Bidenharris Administration toward the Green New Deal . You have two minutes, uninterrupted. Sen. Harris first of all, the American People know that joe biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact. That is a fact. Biden haseat that joe been very clear that he thinks about growing jobs, which is why he will not increase taxes for anyone who makes less than 400,000 a year. , a bidens economic plans reparable wall street firm has said we will create 7 million more jobs than donald trump, and part of those jobs that will be created by joe biden going to be about clean energy and renewable energy. Because, you see, joe understands that the west coast of our country is burning, including my home state of california. Joe sees what is happening on the gulf states, which are being battered by storms. Joe has seen and talked with the farmers in iowa, whose entire crops have been destroyed because of floods. So joe believes, again, in science. Committee that is responsible for the environment. This administration took the word science off the website and then took the phrase Climate Change off the website. We have seen a pattern with this administration, which is they dont believe in science. Joes plan is about saying we are going to deal with this, but we are also going to create jobs. Donald trump, when asked about the wildfires in california, donald trump said science doesnt know. Islets talk about who prepared to lead our country over the course of the next four years on what is an existential threat to us as human beings. Joe is about saying we are going to invest that in renewable energy. Its going to be about the creation of millions of jobs. We will achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Carbon Neutral by 2035. Joe has a plan. There has been a lot of talk from the Trump Administration and really it has been to go backward instead of forward. Susan senator harris just said that Climate Changes in existential threat. Do you believe Climate Change poses an existential threat . Vice pres. Pence the climate is changing. We will follow the science payment once again, senator thats is denying the fact they will raise taxes on every american. Joe biden said twice in the debate last week that on day one he was going to repeal the tax cuts. Those tax cuts delivered 2000 in tax relief to the average family across america. That peoplemend look at the record. You yourself said repeatedly that you would ban fracking. You were the first sin a cosponsor of the Green New Deal, while joe biden denied the Green New Deal. Susan, thank you for pointing out, the Green New Deal is on their campaign website, and his usa today said, its essentially the same plan you cosponsored with aoc when she submitted it. You just heard the senator say shes going to resubmit america to the paris climate accord. Look, the American People have always cherished our environment. We have made great progress reducing co2 emissions through American Innovation and the development of natural gas and fracking. We dont need a massive 2 trillion renew deal that would impose all new mandates on american businesses and American Families. Susan thank you, Vice President pence. Vice pres. Pence it makes no sense, it will cost jobs. Susan thank you, Vice President. Vice pres. Pence we will take care of our environment and follow the science. Sen. Harris lets talk about that. The Vice President earlier regard to what he thinks is an accomplishment, the president s trade war with china. You lost that trade war. You lost it. What ended up happening is because of a socalled trade war with china, america lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs. Farmers have experienced and cropsey because of it. Farmers have experienced bankruptcy because of it. We are in a manufacturing recession because of it. When we look at where this administration has been, there are estimates that the end of the term of this administration, they will have lost more jobs than almost any other president ial administration, and the American People know what im talking about. 20yearolds. We have a 20yearold, 20 somethingyearold, who is coming out of high school and college right now, and your wonder, is there going to be a job there for me . We are looking at people who are trying to figure out how they are going to pay rent by the end of the month. Almost half of american ranchers are worried about whether they are going to be able to pay rent by the end of the month. This is where the economy is in america right now, and it is because of the catastrophe and the failure of leadership of this administration. Susan thank you, senator harris. Let me give you 15 seconds to respond and then i want to move on. Vice pres. Pence i would love to respond. Lost the trade war with china . Joe biden never fought it. Joe biden has been a cheerleader for common is china over the last several decades. Again, senator harris, you are entitled to your opinion, youre not entitled to your own facts. Joe biden was Vice President , we lost 200 thousand manufacturing jobs, and president obama said they are never coming back. Susan thank you, Vice President. Vice pres. Pence this administration saw 500,000 manufacturing jobs created and thats exactly the kind of growth we will continue to see as we bring our nation through this pandemic. Susan thank you, Vice President. I just need to respond very briefly. Thank you. Joe biden is responsible for saving americas auto industry, and you voted against it. So lets put the record straight. Thank you. Susan id like to talk about china. We have no more complicated or consequential foreign relationship than the one with china. It is a huge market for american ever cultural goods. It is a potential partner in dealing with Climate Change in north korea to be in a video tonight, President Trump again lamed it for the coronavirus, saying china will pay. Vice president pence, how would you describe our fundamental relationship with china . Competitors, adversaries, enemies . You have two minutes. Vice pres. Pence thank you, susan. Let me speak to voting records, if i can. Everybody knows that nafta cost literally thousands of american factories to close. We saw owner motive jobs go south of the border. Automotive jobs go south. President trump sought to renegotiate nafta. The American People deserve to know, senator Kamala Harris was one of only 10 memos of the senate to vote against the usmca. It was a huge win for american autoworkers. It was a huge win for american farmers, especially dairy in the upper midwest. But senator, you said he didnt go far enough on Climate Change, that you put your radical environmental agenda ahead of american autoworkers and head of american jobs. The American People deserve to know that. Thats probably why Newsweek Magazine said that Kamala Harris was the most liberal member of the United States senate in 2019. Or liberal than bernie sanders, more liberal than anyone in the United States senate. With regard to china, susan, first and foremost, china is to blame for the coronavirus. And President Trump is not happy about it. He has made that very clear. He made it clear again today. China and the World Help Organization World Health Organization did not play straight with the American People. Into chinapersonnel to get information until the middle of february. Fortunately, President Trump, standing up to china, theyve been taking a of america for decades, in the wake of joe bidens cheerleading for china, President Trump made that decision before the end of january to suspend all travel from china. And again, the American People deserve to know, joe biden opposed President Trumps decision to suspend all travel from china. He said it was hysterical. Susan thank you, Vice President trump. Vice president ands. Vice president pence. Think you. Senator harris, let me ask you the same question, how would you describe our fundamental relationship with china . Re competitors, adversaries, enemies . You will have two minutes uninterrupted. Susan, the Trump Administrations perspective and approach to china has resulted in the loss of american lives, american jobs, and americas standing. Obsession thatd President Trump has had with getting rid of whatever accomplishment was achieved by president obama and Vice President biden. For example, they created within the white house and office that basically was responsible for monitoring pandemics. They got rid of it. Was a team of disease experts that president obama and Vice President biden dispatched is nowa to monitor what predictable and what might happen. They pulled them out. 210,000re looking at americans who have lost their lives. Lets look at the job situation. Weve mentioned before the trade deal, the trade war, they wanted to call it, with china. Resulted in the loss of over 300 manufacturing jobs, and a manufacturing recession. Paythe americans consumer thousands of dollars more for goods because of that failed war that they called it. Lets talk about standing. Firm, Reputable Research has done an analysis that shows that leaders of all of our formally allied countries have now decided that they hold in greater esteem and respect xi jinping, the head of the chinese commonest party, than they do donald trump come the president of the United States, the commander in chief of the United States. This is where we are today, because of a failure of leadership by this administration. Senator harris, we have seen changes in the role of the United States in terms of Global Leadership over the past four years. Talks do change. We seem to strains with china, as the Vice President mention. We seen strains with our nato allies and elsewhere. What is your definition of the role of American Leadership in 2020 . Talking withi love joe about a lot of these issues. I think joe said it quite well. He said Foreign Policy might sound complicated, but really its relationships. Just think about it as relationships. We know this in our personal and professional relationships. Youve got to keep your word to your friends. You got to be loyal with your friends. People who have stood with you, youve got to stand with them. Got to know your adversaries are, and keep them in check. What we have seen with donald trump is that he has betrayed embracedds, and dictators around the world. Lets take, for example, russia. I serve on the Intelligence Committee of the United States senate. Americas Intelligence Community told us russia interfered in the election of the president of the United States in 2016 and is trying in 2020. The director of the fbi said the same. Donald trump, the commanderinchief, first to take the word of Vladimir Putin over the word of the american Intelligence Community. You look at our friends at nato. He has walked away from agreements. Look at the Iran Nuclear Deal, which now has put us in a position where we are less safe because they are building up what might end up being a significant nuclear arsenal. We were inthat deal, the Iran Nuclear Deal with friends and allies around the country gamut , and because of Donald Trumps unilateral approach to Foreign Policy, coupled with his isolationism, he pulled us out and has made america less safe. So susan, its about relationships. The thing that has always been part of the strength of our nation, in addition to our great military, has been that we keep our word. Donald trump doesnt understand that, because he doesnt understand what it means to be honest. Susan thank you, senator harris. Let me give you a chance to respond. Vice pres. Pence President Trump kept his word on moving capital of israel. We stood strong with our allies. We have been demanding. Nato is now contributing or to our common defense than ever before thanks to President Trumps eater ship. We strengthened alliances across the asia pacific, and we have stood strong against those who would do us harm. President trump came into office, isis had captured an area of the middle east the size of pennsylvania. Unleashedtrump American Military and our Armed Forces Destroy the isis caliphate and took down their leader, albaghdadi, without one american casualty. Albaghdadi was responsible for the death of thousands. Hearts arericas with the family of kayla mueller. Today, two of the isis killers responsible for her murder were brought to justice in the United States. Jihadi john was killed on the field of battle. The reality is when joe biden was Vice President , we had an opportunity to save kaylamueller. The military came into the oval office, presented a plan and said they knew where kayla was. Albaghdadi had held her for 18 months and abused her mercilessly before they killed her. When joe biden was Vice President , they hesitated for a month, and wind armed forces finally went in, it was clear she had been moved two days ,arlier, and her family says and it broke the heart of every believe ift they president had been president she would be alive today. But we destroyed the isis caliphate. The last administration transferred 1. 8 going dollars to the leading state sponsor of terrorism. President donald trump got us out of the deal and when solemani was traveling to baghdad, President Donald Trump took him out. America is safer and our allies are safer. President donald trump will never take action susan i would like to give senator harris a chance to respond but not at such great length. Sen. Harris but i would like equal time. First of all, tuesdaymueller family to the mueller family, i know about your daughters case, and im so sorry, what happened to her is awful, and it should have never happened. And i know joe feels the same way. And i know that president obama feels the same way. Solemani. Ntioned lets start there. After the strike on solemani, there was a counter strike on our troops in iraq. And they suffered serious brain injuries him and you know what donald trump dismissed them as . Headaches. This is about a pattern of donald trump, where he has referred to our men who are serving in our military as suckers and losers. Donald trump, who went to Arlington Cemetery and stood above the graves of our fallen , whats in itd for them . Because, of course, he only thinks about whats in it for him. Lets take what he said about john mccain, a Great American come and donald trump says he doesnt deserve to be called a hero because he was a prisoner of war. This is very important, when you want to talk about who is the current sen. Harris public reporting that russia has bounties on the heads of american soldiers. You know what a bounty is . Somebody puts a price on your head and they will pay it if you are killed. Donald trump had talked at least six times two Vladimir Putin and never to Vladimir Putin and never brought up the subject. Joe biden would never do that. Joe biden would hold russia to account for any threat to our nations security or to our troops who are sacrificing their lives for the sake of our democracy and our safety. Susan thank you, senator harris. This is such an important issue but we have other important issues as well. Vice pres. Pence i really have to respond to that. Susan 15 seconds. Vice pres. Pence i will take longer than that. Susan im sorry, Vice President. You have had more time then she has had so far. Vice pres. Pence regarding men and women of our armed forces susan im sorry but vice pres. Pence my son is a captain in the United States marine corps, my soninlaw is in the United States navy. I can assure all of you with sons and daughters serving in the military, President Donald Trump reveres all of those who serve in our Armed Services and those who suggest otherwise are ridiculous. [crosstalk] vice pres. Pence the American People deserve to know the American People deserve to know, Joe Biden Susan your campaign agreed to the rules for tonights debate. I am here to enforce them, which involves moving from one topic to another, giving roughly equal time to both of you, which is what i am trying very hard to do. I want to move to the next topic which is an important one, as the last topic was, and that is the Supreme Court. Judiciary the Senate Committee was scheduled to open hearings on Amy Coney Barretts nomination to the Supreme Court. Senator harris, you will be there as a member of the committee. Her confirmation would cement the courts conservative majority and make it more likely to overturning the roe v. Wade ruling. Access to abortion would be up to the states. Vice president pence, you are the former governor of indiana. If roe v. Wade is overturned, what would you want indiana to do . Would you want your home state to ban all abortions . You have two minutes uninterrupted. Vice pres. Pence i will use a little bit of my time to respond to that important issue before. The American People deserve to know that the iranian general, solemani, was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American Service members. When the opportunity came, we saw him headed to baghdad to kill more americans, and President Trump did not hesitate. Because in solemani is gone. Nowost some solemani soleimani is gone. Taking outized solemani. It is inextricable. With regard to joe biden, it is expendable. Joe biden opposed the raid against osama bin laden. It is absolutely essential that we have a commanderinchief who will not hesitate to act to protect american lives and to protect American Servicemembers, and that is what you have an President Donald Trump. With regard to the Supreme Court of the United States, let me say , President Trump and i could not be more enthusiastic about the opportunity to see judge Amy Coney Barrett become justice Amy Coney Barrett. She is a brilliant woman, and she will bring a lifetime of experience and a sizable American Family to the Supreme Court of the United States. And our hope is in the hearing next week, unlike Justice Kavanaugh received with treatment from you and others, we hope she gets a fair hearing, and we particularly hope that we do not see the kind of attacks on her Christian Faith that we saw before. The democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee before, when judge barrett was being confirmed for the court of appeals, expressed concern that the dogma of her faith lived loudly in her. Durbin of illinois said it was a concern. One of our judicial nominees, you actually attacked you were a member of the Catholic Knights of columbus, just because the knights of columbus holds prolife views. Susan thank you. Your time is up. Thank you, Vice President pence. Vice pres. Pence judge Amy Coney Barrett will be respected susan thank you, mr. Vice president. Senator harris, you are the senator from a former attorney general of california. Let me ask you a parallel question to the when i posed to the Vice President. If roe v. Wade is overturned, what would you want california to do . Would you want your home state to enact no restrictions on your access to abortion . You have two minutes uninterrupted. Sen. Harris joe biden and i are both people of faith. It is insulting to suggest that we would knock anyone for their faith. In fact, joe, if elected, would be only the second practicing catholic as president of the United States. On the issue of this nomination, joe and i are very clear as are the majority of the American People we are 27 days before the decision about who will be the next president in the United States, and before, when this conversation has come up, its then about election time. We are literally in an election. Over 4 Million People have voted. People are in the process of voting right now. So joe has been very clear, as the American People are, that the American People fill that seat in the white house and then we will fill that seat on the United States Supreme Court. To that point, the issues before us could not be more serious. There is the issue of choice, and i will always fight for a womans right to make a decision about her own body. It should be her decision, not that of donald trump and mike pence. Lets look at what also is before the court, the Affordable Care act. Literally, in the midst of a Public Health pandemic, when over 210,000 people have died, and 7 Million People probably have what will be in the future considered a preexisting condition because you contracted the virus, donald trump is in court right now trying to get rid of the. And i said it before and it bears repeating, this means that there will be no more protection, if they win, for people with preexisting conditions. This means that over 20 Million People will lose your coverage. It means that if you are under the age of 26, you cannot stay on your parents coverage anymore. And here is the thing. The contrast could not be more clear. They are trying to get rid of the Affordable Care act. Joe biden is saying lets expand coverage, give you a choice of a private option, bring down premiums, lower medicare eligibility to 60. That is true leadership. Susan you mentioned earlier Vice President pence said the president was committed to maintaining protections for people with preexisting conditions. But you do have this court case that you are supporting, your administration is supporting, that would strike down the Affordable Care act. President trump says he is going to protect people with preexisting conditions, but he has not explained how he would do that and it was one of the nuts to crack. How would your administration protect people with preexisting conditions, have access to insurance, if the Affordable Care act is struck down . Vice pres. Pence let me just say, addressing your first question, i could not be more proud to serve as Vice President to a president who stands without apology for the sanctity of human life. I am prolife. I dont apologize for it. And this is another one of those cases where there is such a dramatic contrast. Joe biden and Kamala Harris support taxpayer funding of abortion all the way up to the moment of birth. Late term abortion. They want to increase funding to planned parenthood in america. For our part, i would never presume how judge Amy Coney Barrett would rule on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we will continue to stand strong for the right to life. When you speak about the Supreme Court, i think the American People really deserve an answer, senator harris. Are you and joe biden going to pack the court if judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed . 29 vacancies on the Supreme Court during president ial election years from George Washington to barack obama, president s have nominated in all 29 cases, but your party is actually openly advocating adding seats to the Supreme Court, which has had nine seats for 150 years, if you dont get your way. This is a classic case if you cannot win by the rules, you will change the rules. You have refused to answer the question. Joe biden has refused to answer the question. The American People would really like to know if judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to this are paying part of the United States, are you and joe biden, if you somehow win this election, going to pack the Supreme Court to get your way . Sen. Harris im so glad we went through a little history lesson. Lets do that a little more. In 1864 vice pres. Pence i can answer the question sen. Harris im speaking. The i think of political heroes, i assume for you also, mr. Vice president , is abraham lincoln. He was up for reelection. It was 27 days before the election and a seat became open on the United States Supreme Court. Abraham lincolns party was in charge not only of the white house, but the senate. Said, its not the right thing to do. The American People deserve to make the decision about who will be the next president of the United States, and then that person can select who will serve for a lifetime on the highest court of our land. Clear, joe and i are very , the American People are voting right now, and it should be there decision about who will serve on this most important body for a lifetime. Susan thank you. Senator harris vice pres. Pence people are voting right now. They would like to know if you and joe biden will pack the Supreme Court if you do not get your way in this nomination. Sen. Harris lets talk about vice pres. Pence nonanswer. Joe biden gave a nonanswer. Sen. Harris im trying to answer you now. Vice pres. Pence the straight answer is they are going to pack the Supreme Court. If they somehow win this election. Cherish ourn, i Supreme Court. Cherish the separation of powers. You need to reject the bidenharris ticket, come november 3, reelect President Trump, who will stand by that. Sen. Harris lets talk about packing the court. Im about to. Trumppence administration has been as you mentioned. I have witnessed the appointments for fivetime appointments to the federal appointmentsetime to the federal courts, people who are completely ideological, people who are found to be not competent or substandard. And do you know that of the 50 people who President Trump appointed to the court of appeals for lifetime appointments, not one is black . This is what they have been doing. You want to talk about packing a court, lets have that discussion. Susan thank you, senator. Lets go on and talk about the issue of racial justice. Vice pres. Pence i want the record to reflect she never answered the question. Maybe in the next debate, joe biden will answer the question but i think the American People know the answer. Taylor,n march, breonna a 20 sixyearold emergency technician in louisville, was shot and killed after Police Officers executing a search warrant broke into her apartment. Police said they identified themselves. Taylors boyfriend said he did not hear them do that. He used a gun registered to him to fire a shot which wounded an officer. The officers fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment. They say they were acting in selfdefense. None of them have been indicted in connection with her death. Senator harris, in the case of breonna taylor, was justice done . You have two minutes. Sen. Harris i dont believe so. I have talked with Breonna Taylors mother and her family, and her family deserves justice. She was a beautiful young woman. She had as her life goal to become a nurse and she wanted to become an emt. She could save lives. And her life was taken, unjustifiably, tragically, and violently. Know, theme to, you eight minutes and 46 seconds that america witnessed during wash an american man tortured and killed under the uniformed armed, police officer. Country ofaround our ofry race, of every age, every gender, perfect strangers to each other, marched shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, fighting for us to finally achieve that ideal of equal justice under law, and i was a part of those peaceful protests. Strongly that, first of all, we are never going to condone violence, but we always must fight for the values that we hold dear, including the fight to achieve our ideals. Thats why joe biden and i have set on this subject, look, i am a former career prosecutor. I know what im talking about. Of our policing in america and our criminal Justice System, which is why joe and i will immediately ban chokeholds and carotid holds. Holds. We will require a National Registry for Police Officers who break the law. We will on the issue of criminal Justice Reform get rid of private prisons and cash bail. And we will decriminalize marijuana and we will expunge the records of those who have been convicted of marijuana susan thank you, senator. Sen. Harris on a tragic issue of unarmed black people in America Susan thank you, senator harris. Vice president pence, let me pose the same question to you. In the case of breonna taylor, was justice done . You have two minutes on interrupted. On interrupted un interrupted. Vice pres. Pence our heart breaks for loss of any American Life and they have our sympathies. I trust our Justice System, a grand jury that refused the evidence. It is remarkable that as a former prosecutor, you would assume that a grand jury looking at all the evidence got it wrong, but you are entitled to euro opinion, senator. Floyd,gard to george there is no excuse for what happened to george floyd. Justice will be served. There is also no excuse for the rioting and looting that followed. I mean, it really is astonishing. She is with us here tonight in salt lake city. A few weeks ago, i stood at what used to be her salon. It was burned to the ground by rioters and looters, and she is still trying to put her life back together. This presumption that you hear consistently from joe biden and america isis that systemically racist, and that as joe biden says, he believes Law Enforcement has an implicit bias against minorities, its a great insult to the men and women who served in lawenforcement. I want everyone to know who puts on the uniform of Law Enforcement every day that President Trump and i stand with you. That whenrkable senator tim scott tried to pass the Police Reform bill, brought together a group of republicans and democrats, senator harris, you got up and walked out of the room, and then you filibustered tim scotts bill on the senate floor that would have provided new accountability, new resources, but we dont have to choose between supporting Law Enforcement, and supporting our africanamerican neighbors and all of our minorities. Under President Trumps leadership, we always stand with Law Enforcement, and we will do what we susan thank you, your time is up. Vice pres. Pence improve the lives of africanamericans fight for school choice. Sen. Harris i would like to respond. I will not sit here and be lectured by the Vice President on what it means to enforce the laws of our country. I am the only one on this stage who has personally prosecuted everything from child Sexual Assault to homicide. I am the only one on this stage who prosecuted the big banks for taking advantage of americas homeowners. I am the only one on this stage who prosecuted forprofit colleges for taking advantage of our veterans. And the reality of this is that we are talking about an election in 27 days where last week, the president of the United States in front of 70 million americans and refused to condemn white supremacists. Vice pres. Pence not true. Sen. Harris it was not like he did not have a chance. He did not do it. And then he doubled down. Pressed,he said, when stand back. Standby. Pattern ofart of a Donald Trumps. Andalled mexicans rapists criminals. He instituted, as his first act, a muslim ban. He, on the issue of charlottesville, where people were peacefully protesting the need for racial justice, where a young woman was killed, and on the other side, there were neonazis carrying tiki torches, shouting racial epithets, antisemitic slurs, and donald trump, when asked about it, said there were fine people on both sides. This is who we have as a president of the United States. In america, you deserve better. Go by then will be a president who brings our country together and recognizes joe biden will be a president who brings our country together. Susan let me give you a minute to respond. Vice pres. Pence thank you, susan. I appreciate that very much. You know, i think this is one of the things that makes people dislike the media so much in this country, susan. Is that you selectively edit, just like senator harris did, comments that President Trump and i and others on our side of the aisle make. I mean, senator harris conveniently omitted, after the president made comments about people on either side of the debate over monuments, he condemned the kkk, neonazis, and white supremacists, and has done so repeatedly. Your concern that he does not condemn your nazis President Trump has jewish grandchildren. His daughter and soninlaw are jewish. This is a president who respects and cherishes all of the American People. But you talk about having personally prosecuted im glad you brought up your record, senator. Sen. Harris thank you. Vice pres. Pence i really need to make this point. When you were da in san francisco, when you left office, africanamericans were 19 times more likely to be prosecuted for minor drug offenses than whites and hispanics. When you were attorney general of california, you increased the disproportionate incarceration of blacks in california. You did nothing on criminal Justice Reform in california. You did not lift a finger to pass the First Step Act on capitol hill. The reality is, your record speaks for itself. President trump and i have fought for criminal Justice Reform susan thank you, Vice President. Vice pres. Pence for africanamericans and we will do it susan there is no more important issue than the final issue that we are going to talk about tonight, and that is the issue of the election. Sen. Harris he attacked my record. I would like an opportunity to respond. Susan let me give you 30 seconds because we are running out of time. Sen. Harris i appreciate that. First of all, having served as the attorney general of the state of california, the work that i did is a model of what our nation needs to do, and we will be able to do under a joe biden presidency. Our agenda includes what this administration has failed to do. It will be about not only instituting a ban on chokeholds and carotid holds susan these are points you made earlier in the hour. I would like to talk about the election itself sen. Harris i want to talk about the connection between what joe and i will do in my record, which includes i was the first statewide officer to institute a requirement that my agents would wear body cameras and keep them on full time. We were the first to initiate a requirement that there would be training for Law Enforcement on implicit bias. Joe biden and i recognize that implicit bias does exist, mr. Vice president , contrary to what you may believe. We did the work of instituting reforms that were about investing in reentry. This is the work we have done in the work we will do going forward, and again, i will not be lectured by the Vice President on our record of what we have done in terms of Law Enforcement and keeping our communities safe and a commitment to reforming the criminal Justice System of america. Susan thank you. I would like you to respond first to the question on our final topic, the election itself. President trump has several times refused to commit himself to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. If your ticket whens and wins, and President Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, what steps would you and Vice President biden then take . What would happen next . You have two minutes. Sen. Harris i will tell you, joe and i are particularly proud of the coalition that we built around our campaign. We probably have one of the broadest coalitions that you have ever seen in a president ial race. We have the support of democrats, but also independents and republicans. In fact, Seven Members of president george w. Bushs candidate are supporting our ticket. We have the support of colin powell, cindy mccain, john generals,er 500 retired generals, and former National Security experts and advisors, are supporting our campaign. I believe they are doing that because we know that joe biden has a deep, deep seated commitment to fight for our democracy and to fight for the integrity of our democracy and to bring integrity back to the white house. So we believe in the American People. We believe in our democracy. Here is what i would like to say to everybody. Vote. Please vote. Vote early. Come up with a plan to vote. Go to iwillvote. Com. You can also go to joebiden. Com. We have the power to make the decision about what will be the course of our country for the next four years. And it is within our power, and if we use our vote and we use we voice, we will win, and will not let anybody subvert our democracy with what donald trump has been doing, as he did on the debate stage last week, when again, in front of 70 Million People, he openly attempted to suppress the vote. Hand, on, on the other that same debate stage, because donald trump does not think economic record, joe biden said, hey, vote. Please vote. Susan thank you, senator. President trump has several times refused to commit himself to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. If Vice President biden is declared the winner and President Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, what would be your role and responsibility as Vice President . What would you personally do . You have two minutes. Vice pres. Pence susan, first and foremost, i think we are going to win this election because while joe biden and Kamala Harris rattle off a litany of the establishment in washington, d. C. And the establishment joe biden has been part of for 47 years, President Donald Trump has launched a movement of Everyday Americans from every walk of life. And i have every confidence that the same americans who delivered that historic victory in 2016, they see this president s record where we rebuild our military, revived our economy through tax cuts and rolling back regulations, fighting for fair trade, unleashing American Energy. The appointed conservatives to our federal courts at every level. And we stood with the men and women of Law Enforcement every single day and that movement of americans has only grown stronger in the last four years. When you talk about accepting the outcome of the election, i must tell you, senator, your party spent the last 3. 5 years trying to overturn the results of the last election. Its amazing. When joe biden was Vice President of the United States, the fbi actually spied on President Trump and my campaign. There were documents released this week that the cia actually made a referral to the fbi documenting that those allegations were coming from the Hillary Clinton campaign. ,e have all seen the avalanche what you put the country through for the better part of three years until it was found there was no obstruction, no collusion, case closed. And then senator harris, you and your colleagues in the congress tried to impeach the president of the United States over a phone call. And now, Hillary Clinton said to joe biden that in her words, under no circumstances, should he concede the action. I think we are going to win this election. President i are fighting to prevent joe biden and Kamala Harris from changing the rules and creating this universal mailin voting that will create a massive opportunity for voter fraud. We have a free and fair election. We have confidence in it. I believe in all my heart that President Donald Trump will be reelected for four more years. Susan i have asked all the questions i have written all the questions i asked tonight, but for the final question, i would like to read a question someone else wrote. You asked students in the state to ask questions about what they would like to ask you and i want to close tonights debate with a question posed by brown, an eighth grader at springville high in utah. Ihen i watch the news, all see is arguing between democrats and republicans. When i watch the news, all i see is citizens fighting against citizens. When i watch the news, all i see are two candidates from opposing parties trying to tear each other down. Along,leaders cannot get how are the citizens supposed to get along . And then she added, your examples could make all the difference to bring us together. So to each of you in turn, i would like you to take one minute and respond to her. Vice president pence, you have one minute. Vice pres. Pence thats a wonderful question. And let me just commend you for taking an interest in public life. Following the news when i was very young. And in america, we believe in a free and open exchange of debate. And we celebrate that. Its how we created the freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world. Dontell you that assume that what you are seeing isyour local News Networks synonymous with the American People. I look at the relationship between Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg, the late justice who we just lost in the Supreme Court, and the late justice antonin scalia. Ony were on polar opposites the Supreme Court of the United States. One very liberal, one very conservative. What has been learned since her passing was the two of them and their families were the closest of friends. Here in america, we can disagree, we can debate vigorously, as senator harris and i have on this stage tonight , but when the debate is over, we come together as americans. That is what people do in big cities and small towns across this country. I want to encourage you. I want to tell you that we will ark every day to have government as good as its people. The American People each and everyday love of the debate. We love a good argument. But we always come together and we are always there for one another in times of need, and we have especially learned that through the difficulties of this year. Susan senator harris, what would you say . All, irris first of love hearing from our young leaders. When i hear her words, when i hear your words, i know our future is bright because it is that perspective on who we are and who we should be. That is a sign of leadership and it is something we should all aspire to be. That brings me to joe. Joe biden, one of the reasons joe decided to run for president is after charlottesville, which we talked about earlier, it has troubled him and upset him like he did all of us that there was that kind of hate and division. What propelled joe to run for president was to see that over the course of the last four years, what she described has been happening. Joe has a longstanding reputation of working across the aisle, working in a bipartisan way. That is what hes going to do as president. Joe biden has a history of lifting people up and fighting for their dignity. I mean, you have to know joseph story to know that joe has joe hasory to know that known suffering, pain, and love. You think about the future, i do believe the future is bright, and it will be because of your leadership, and it will be because we fight for each persons voice, through their vote, and we get engaged in this election because you have the ability through your work and through eventually your vote to determine the future of our country and what its leadership looks like. You, senator harris. Thank you, Vice President pence. Thank you so much for being with us tonight. We want to thank the university of utah for its hospitality. Most of all, our thanks to all the americans who watched this debate tonight. Our best wishes for a quick recovery to President Trump, the first lady, and everyone who is battling covid19. The second president ial debate is next week on october 15, a town hall style debate in miami. We hope you will join us then. Good evening. [applause] [applause] [applause] [chatter] now its time to get your reaction to the Vice President ial debates. Here is how you can do it. The numbers are on the screen. Youis the area code if support the trumppence zero it. If you are supporting the 8921. Harris ticket, 748 now, if you cannot get through on the phone lines and still want to make a comment, try texting us. Include your first name and your city if you would. 488903. And we will begin taking those calls in just a minute. Lets check in with before we get to reviewers reactions, a reaction from political reporters to tonights Vice President ial debate, Michael C Bender with the wall street journal. The opening questions for pence have been right down the middle for susan page, but even so, brutal. Hard to think of a tougher question for vp in the opening minutes of a debate, and he tweets a quote from his colleague, rebecca, w