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Social media users crown Pence, and the fly, winners of tonight's debate

A fly sat on the VP's head for two full minutes of the debate.

Published: October 7, 2020 10:32pm

Updated: October 8, 2020 12:27am

Social media users reacted to Wednesday night's vice presidential debate in droves, coming out in support of the candidates' performances, the moderator, the plexiglass barriers, and one unexpected  bit player — a fly that landed on Vice President Mike Pence's head and lingered there for several minutes. 

Twitter users started off the evening commenting on the setup of the debate, which included two plexiglass walls that were erected between the candidates, who were seated 12 feet apart. One user pointed out that the reflective surfaces allowed viewers to always have eyes on both candidates, even if one was not being shown on screen.

Following the chaos of last week's presidential debate, users were also in the corner of the moderator, USA Today's Susan Page, whom the masses appeared to hope would be able to keep everything under tighter control than Fox News' Chris Wallace did. During several moments of the debate, Page maintained civility while explaining to the candidates that they must stop talking, as their time had expired.  

Several tweeters were taken aback by the ability of both candidates to completely dodge the substance of the question they were asked, opting instead to stick to party-line talking points and campaign platforms.

On the whole, users appeared to feel that the vice president put on a solid performance, conveying a steady voice that President Trump did not exhibit last week. However, it is unclear how many voters will be swayed by his performance, or really, a vice presidential debate at all.

TV journalist Megyn Kelly remarked negatively on what she portrayed as a smug performance by Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Though perhaps social media's biggest takeaway from the evening was the significance of the fly that landed on Mike Pence's head and lingered there for about two minutes during the final half hour of debate.  

Expect memes by morning.

 

 

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