U.S. vice presidential debate to include plexiglass barrier after White House outbreak

By Jeff Mason and Joseph Ax

 

Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden departs after speaking during a campaign stop at UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) Local 951 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) - Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris will be separated by a plexiglass barrier during their debate on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said, in an effort to lower the risk of coronavirus transmission.

 

The debate, the only one scheduled between the vice presidential candidates, is scheduled for Salt Lake City, six days after President Donald Trump announced he had contracted the virus.

 

Both Harris, a U.S. senator, and Republican Pence have tested negative in recent days, with the vice president working from home over the weekend instead of at the White House. A number of White House staffers and Republican allies, including three U.S. senators, have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

 

The Commission on Presidential Debates, which oversees the debate, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

In a statement, Pence's spokeswoman, Katie Miller, said: "If Senator Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it."

 

In response, Sabrina Singh, a spokeswoman for Harris, wrote on Twitter: "Interesting that @VPComDir Katie Miller mocks our wanting a plexiglass barrier on the debate stage, when her own boss is supposedly in charge of the COVID-19 task force and should be advocating for this too."

 

Miller herself had COVID-19 in the spring.

 

Also on Monday, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the president intends to participate in the next presidential debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami.

 

Trump was leaving a military hospital https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump/dont-be-afraid-of-virus-trump-says-as-he-prepares-to-leave-hospital-idUSKBN26Q0CS on Monday after three days of treatment, although mixed messages from the White House have prompted uncertainty about how ill he became.

 

Biden said on Monday he was willing to participate in next week's scheduled debate with Trump as long as health experts say it would be safe.

 

The diagnosis has raised questions about the safety of staging the debates for the Nov. 3 election. The first of three scheduled debates took place last week, two days before Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

"If the scientists say that it's safe and the distances are safe, then I think that's fine. I'll do whatever the experts say is the appropriate thing to do," Biden, who tested negative for COVID-19 over the weekend, told reporters in Delaware before heading to Florida on a campaign trip.

 

The normal quarantine period for anyone testing positive for the novel coronavirus is 14 days.

 

Trump has frequently played down the threat of the pandemic that has now infected 7.4 million Americans and killed more than 209,000. Biden has criticized Trump for not taking the health concerns seriously enough.

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Wilmington, Delaware, and Joseph Ax in Princeton, New Jersey; Additional reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Grant McCool and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-06

 

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1 hour ago, webfact said:

Biden has criticized Trump for not taking the health concerns seriously enough.

Yes he going car trip to wave people! Let see what other idiotic things he going to do!

 

20 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

Yes he going car trip to wave people! Let see what other idiotic things he going to do!

 

He is going to leave the hospital because he doesnt have the virus just fatigue from all the stupid rallies he does .

The medical staff couldn't give any details for him because there arent any to give .

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by keith101

Mother Pence demanded the barrier so VP Pence wouldn't be subject to talking to a woman without a chaperone

46 minutes ago, keith101 said:

He is going to leave the hospital because he doesnt have the virus just fatigue from all the stupid rallies he does .

The medical staff couldn't give any details for him because there arent any to give .

The medical staff didn't give any details because the liar in chief wouldn't let them.  Plus, the US has a long history of telling porkies about the president's health. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/02/607638733/doctor-trump-dictated-letter-attesting-to-his-extraordinary-health

Sound proof enclosure and a ‘spit mask’ for Trump would help with both reducing infection risk and the smooth conduct of the debate.

9 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

The medical staff didn't give any details because the liar in chief wouldn't let them.  Plus, the US has a long history of telling porkies about the president's health. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/02/607638733/doctor-trump-dictated-letter-attesting-to-his-extraordinary-health

And Potus has an even bigger history of lying to everyone about everything .

Kamala will tear him apart.  In Pence's own words, he's a Christian, a conservative and a Republican. In that order.  And a cheat like his boss:

 

Campaign finance records from a 1990 run for Congress show that Pence, then 31, had used political donations to pay the mortgage on his house, his personal credit card bill, groceries, golf tournament fees and car payments for his wife.

15 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Kamala will tear him apart.  In Pence's own words, he's a Christian, a conservative and a Republican. In that order.  And a cheat like his boss:

 

Campaign finance records from a 1990 run for Congress show that Pence, then 31, had used political donations to pay the mortgage on his house, his personal credit card bill, groceries, golf tournament fees and car payments for his wife.

1990 wow ! 30 years ago lol,The left are really desperate imop!

Best of all knowing all of that he still got elected to Congress,Govenor and  VP .

 

"The then 31-year-old lawyer didn't break any laws at the time — but Pence's questionable ethics outraged voters and ultimately prompted the Federal Election Commission to crack down on politicians who abuse their campaign funds, the Washington Post reported".

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/mike-pence-13k-campaign-funds-mortgage-golf-fees-article-1.2714118

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by riclag

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris will be separated by a plexiglass barrier during their debate on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said, in an effort to lower the risk of coronavirus transmission.

An electrified fence would probably be more efficient...and maybe some anti personnel mines for good measure...

Posts with trolling graphics removed along with replies.  It's a discussion forum.  

 

31 minutes ago, riclag said:

1990 wow ! 30 years ago lol,The left are really desperate imop!

Best of all knowing all of that he still got elected to Congress,Govenor and  VP .

 

"The then 31-year-old lawyer didn't break any laws at the time — but Pence's questionable ethics outraged voters and ultimately prompted the Federal Election Commission to crack down on politicians who abuse their campaign funds, the Washington Post reported".

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/mike-pence-13k-campaign-funds-mortgage-golf-fees-article-1.2714118

 

Wow, did you have the same objections when 'racist' comments made by Biden decades ago were 'exposed'? Guess that's totally different.

 

And, seriously - what you take away form this is that 'he still got elected'? And that this is 'best of all'? No problems whatsoever with his conduct, then?

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Morch

They are half way there. Put a mute on the mics would be good.

 

If there is anything to regret about Trumps early return to health it's that Pence never got to be president and really sock it to them. I'd have enjoyed a Pence presidency immensly.

10 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

Wow, did you have the same objections when 'racist' comments made by Biden decades ago were 'exposed'? Guess that's totally different.

 

And, seriously - what you take away form this is that 'he still got elected'? And that this is 'best of all'? No problems whatsoever with his conduct, then?

Calm down dude.  Jeez.  Show me an article about that and I'll read it.  I'm not familiar with that.

 

Not sure what your last part means.  I'm no fan of Biden and definitley not from the left.  Be nice.

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Jeffr2

Great news. It is important to protect Harris, from those within the circle of the super spreader in chief. Pence will be utterly demolished by this woman. He is so out of his league, and he will have no idea what hit him. Talk about the final nail in the coffin, of the sad and pathetic Trump campaign. The numbers are dropping daily. Everything they try, fails. A nation and it's people will speak on Nov. 3rd. Goodbye Don and Mike. See ya!

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Sound proof enclosure and a ‘spit mask’ for Trump would help with both reducing infection risk and the smooth conduct of the debate.

Sealed  bubble with optional oxygen/nitrous oxide supply?

Pence's accompishment as Head of the Coronavirus Task Force : WH is a cluster with Trump as Super Spreader 

Get your seat earlier

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Opl

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Sound proof enclosure and a ‘spit mask’ for Trump would help with both reducing infection risk and the smooth conduct of the debate.

What does Trump have to do with this thread?

3 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

The left?  What does that mean?  Hardly desperate as Biden is killing Tweety in the polls.  P.S. I don't like either presidential candidate.  I'm an independent.

 

Try google!  Hello fellow independent!

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by riclag

53 minutes ago, riclag said:

Try google!  Hello fellow independent!

 

Independently supporting Trump, maybe - going by posts on these topics.

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

They are half way there. Put a mute on the mics would be good.

 

If there is anything to regret about Trumps early return to health it's that Pence never got to be president and really sock it to them. I'd have enjoyed a Pence presidency immensly.

There hasn’t been a ‘Trump return to health’, early or otherwise.

 

And there’s still plenty of time to enact the 25th, perhaps the most pressing question is why, with Trump breaking out in ‘roid rage’ has it not been enacted already?!

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Chomper Higgot

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Pence will be utterly demolished by this woman. He is so out of his league, and he will have no idea what hit him. 

Remember that Harris was utterly demolished by Tulsi Gabbard in one of the very first primaries debates, and soon had to quit the race after polling abysmally low.

 

Without the DNC's intrigues and manipulations, Harris wouldn't exist, politically...

Good idea. I definitely don’t wanna see snake venom landing on my Vice President. Take her apart, Mike.

17 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Remember that Harris was utterly demolished by Tulsi Gabbard in one of the very first primaries debates, and soon had to quit the race after polling abysmally low.

 

Without the DNC's intrigues and manipulations, Harris wouldn't exist, politically...

Made-up nonsense, but whatever.  The top of the ticket is all that matters and Trump is an idiot. 

24 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Remember that Harris was utterly demolished by Tulsi Gabbard in one of the very first primaries debates, and soon had to quit the race after polling abysmally low.

 

Without the DNC's intrigues and manipulations, Harris wouldn't exist, politically...

She is very savvy, very sharp, and much better one on one, than in a crowd of candidates. She will demolish poor Mike. I almost feel sorry for him. He is such an imposter, on so many levels. A true charlatan. 

8 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Sound proof enclosure and a ‘spit mask’ for Trump would help with both reducing infection risk and the smooth conduct of the debate.

Not sure how that will help with the VP debate? Can you elaborate?

3 minutes ago, PattayaJames said:

Not sure how that will help with the VP debate? Can you elaborate?

I pointed that out before on this thread, but I never got a reply.

8 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If there is anything to regret about Trumps early return to health it's that Pence never got to be president and really sock it to them. I'd have enjoyed a Pence presidency immensly.

Yes I am betting after a 2 month presidency at least Pence would have showed up for Biden's inauguration...unlike The Covid Kid, who undoubtedly being the classy wonder he is known to be, will be having the Marines dragging him out of the Oval Office kicking and screaming with his mask hanging from his ear.

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Tie Dye Samurai

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I pointed that out before on this thread, but I never got a reply.

Perhaps it could set a practical safety standard  for that  and  possible future such political  debates ?

Or is it somehow now dereliction of  responsibility toward others of no consequence?

Is the erection of a wall in defense and protection of others selectively  deemed  to be an offense when in this case imposes no inhibitions or limitations at all on the  objectioners  ?

 

 

 

5 hours ago, AndyFoxy said:

Good idea. I definitely don’t wanna see snake venom landing on my Vice President. Take her apart, Mike.

On the other thread you stated that unfortunately you are not american otherwise you would vote for trump.

 

how is pence your vice president?