Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic at the vice presidential debate on Wednesday night.
The vice president was asked about the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett that took place in the Rose Garden at the White House. The Sept. 26 event has come to be referred to by some as a COVID-19 “super-spreader” event.
Pence said there “has been a great deal of speculation about the event,” and cited others who attended and were tested for the virus.
“My wife Karen and I were there and were honored to be there,” he said. “Many of the people who were at that event were tested for coronavirus, and it was an outdoor event, which all of our scientists regularly and routinely advise.”
Pence tested negative for COVID-19 before the event on Wednesday.
Pence continued by emphasizing that he and the president trust Americans to use their judgment in making personal health decisions.
“President Trump and I trust the American people to make choices in the best interest of their health,” he explained.
The vice president told moderator Susan Page that he and Trump have “great confidence” in Americans’ abilities to take information about the virus and “put it into practice.”
The Wednesday night debate began with Pence and opponent Senator Kamala Harris duking it out over coronavirus, with Pence defending the White House’s response and Harris arguing that Joe Biden would take bold steps to fight COVID.
Harris said a Biden administration would move to conduct contract tracing and prioritizing a vaccine, while claiming that Trump and Pence flouted COVID-19 public health warnings and statistics in the early days of the pandemic.
“They don’t have a plan, but Joe Biden does,” Harris said.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus early last Friday, as well as several politicians and White House personnel.
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