US Anticipates Next VP Debate 2020 after Trump’s Covid-19 Diagnosis

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com – All eyes are on America’s VP debate 2020 scheduled for this Wednesday particularly after Trump tested positive for Covid-19.

The VP debate has taken on an outsized and perhaps unprecedented significance, with questions about President Donald Trump's health now looming over the November election less than a month away.

Current US Vice Vice President Mike Pence's sole face-off against Senator Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City comes as the Trump campaign reels from a Covid-19 outbreak that has also infected several members of the US President’s inner circle.

Read also: Donald Trump Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Begins Quarantine

The pressure on Mike Pence in the upcoming VP debate 2020, who often toils in Trump’s deep shadow, is great.

Trump trails Joe Biden by 10 percentage points nationally, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, with voters faulting what they viewed as the Trump’s president's carelessness about the pandemic.

Mike Pence needs to show the public during Wednesday's VP debate he is ready to step in as president if the situation requires.

He must also defend the Trump administration’s handling of a 7-month-old health crisis that has killed nearly 210,000 Americans.

Read also: Trump Joins List of World Leaders Diagnosed with the Coronavirus

For her part, Kamala Harris, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight in recent weeks as Biden ramped up campaign travel, must demonstrate to voters that she, too, could assume the presidency if needed at some point in the 77-year-old Biden’s tenure should he win the election.

Traditionally, the VP debate is considered an afterthought to the three presidential debates, watched by fewer voters and viewed as almost irrelevant in terms of shifting public opinion.

"This debate is different," said Christopher Devine, an expert on the vice presidency at the University of Dayton.

"Some people may be worried about Mike Pence and how he may perform if called upon. And there are questions about Joe Biden’s ability to stay healthy.”

Donald Trump, 74, returned to the White House on Monday following a three-day stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he was treated for his illness.

While doctors say he is recovering, it remains uncertain when he will be able to resume campaign activities.