U.S VP debate: Kamala Harris, Mike Pence debate COVID-19 response

U.S. Vice Presidential candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris had a much civil debate than that of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.

The handling of the Coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration dominated the debate between both candidates.

Kamala Harris and Mike Pence clashed severally over covid-19, with the democratic candidate accusing president Donald Trump of “the greatest failure of any presidential administration” in U.S. history.

She further accused Mr Pence and the president of deliberately misleading Americans about the lethality of the disease, stating that they covered up a lot of important issues.

Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, in his response, stated that democrats continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine, if the vaccine emerges during the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump who recently contracted the virus, is still in the recovery stage, even though he returned to the white house after spending three nights in hospital.

The virus has spread through the West Wing of the White House as well as infecting figures inside the president’s re-election campaign and senior Pentagon officials.

Another issue that saw Mr Pence and Miss Harris sparring was on the question of racial justice.

Mr Pence expressed shock at the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. But he added that there is no excuse for the rioting and looting that followed.

He said Mr Biden and Ms Harris’ claim that America is systemically racist and that police have an implicit bias against minorities is “a great insult”.

Ms Harris – who was making history by becoming the first black woman to stand on a vice-presidential debate stage – said: “Last week the president of the United States took a debate stage in front of 70 million Americans and refused to condemn white supremacists.”