Vice presidential candidates Gov. Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, talked over each other and threw insults about their running mates in the vice presidential debate Tuesday.
Pence and Kaine began verbally sparring early in the debate by calling into question Hillary Clinton’s trustworthiness and Donald Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns.
Kaine said a Clinton presidency would be about results. He cited his experience as senator and governor as the reasons why Clinton selected him as a running mate.
“I am so proud to be running with another strong, history-making woman,” Kaine said.
Pence said he will bring a lifetime of experience and running a state that works to the table as vice president.
“I would hope that if the responsibility ever fell to me in this role ... should I be elected vice president of the United States, to bring up a lifetime of experience, a lifetime of growing up in a small town, where I served in the Congress of the United States in the great state of Indiana,” Pence said.
Regarding the economy, Pence said the national debt is atrocious and the war on coal is hurting jobs and the economy. The economy is struggling, and the answer is not more taxes, Pence said.
Kaine said Trump prioritizes his business and himself and Trump’s economic plan includes massive tax breaks for the very top and trillions of dollars of tax breaks for people like Donald Trump.
Kaine also said social security will be protected because it allows Americans to retire with dignity, Kaine said.
Pence and Kaine agreed on the topic of community policing.
“At the risk of agreeing with you, community policing is a great idea,” Pence said. “It has worked in the Hoosier state. We fully support that.”
Pence said he does not want to assume the worst in law enforcement and Kaine is demeaning the police by discussing implicit bias and racism in police forces.
“People should not be afraid to bring up issues of bias in law enforcement,” Kaine said.
Kaine said foreign policy is one of Clinton’s strong suits. He said Clinton has stood up to Russia on issues including Syria and, unlike Trump, she does not believe more nations, including Saudi Arabia, Japan and Korea, should have nuclear weapons.
“Hillary Clinton has the way to stand up to Russia,” Kaine said. “Donald Trump again and again has praised Vladimir Putin.”
However, Pence said the wider Middle East is spinning out of control because of Clinton’s leadership as Secretary of State. He said Iraq is overrun by ISIS and Iran is close to possessing nuclear weapons because of Clinton’s missteps.
“This foreign policy from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened a Russian aggression that first appeared a few years ago with their move into Georgia and Crimea and into the wider Middle East,” Pence said.
The candidates differed on their immigration policies.
Under Clinton, Kaine said refugees will be judged on whether they are dangerous, not based on which country they come from or religion they practice. Unlike Clinton, Kaine said Trump believes in “deportation nation,” which is reflective of his insult-driven campaign.
Trump will restore law and order by removing illegal aliens and those who have overstayed their visas, Pence said. “They are driving down wages in the country. To prevent this, the government will secure the border “beneath the ground and in the air,” Pence said.
Pence said he and Trump are committed to eliminating the Syrian refugee program. An appeals court in Indiana recently upheld a decision saying Pence’s attempt to ban federal funding from helping Syrian refugees resettle in Indiana was unconstitutional.
Both candidates said their faith plays a role in how they govern.
On abortion, Pence said his Christian faith has pushed him to protect the sanctity of life. Pence said he has worked to promote pro-adoption ideology and alternatives to abortion.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be standing with Donald Trump,” Pence said. “He is standing for the right to life.”
Kaine said women have the right to consult their own conscience and make their own decision about pregnancy.
“We trust American women to do that,” Kaine said. “The very last thing the government should do is punish women who make reproductive choices.”
In the end, Kaine said he and Clinton have a proven track record of working across the aisle that will enable the country to progress.
Pence said the best way to bring the country together is through change in Washington, D.C., and a U.S. economic comeback.
“The potential is there to really change the direction of this country,” Pence said. “But it’s going to take leadership to do it.”
The next presidential debate is Oct. 9 in at Washington University in St. Louis.
