Second Lady Karen Pence’s office is backing her after receiving criticism for failing to wear a mask on stage during the first vice presidential debate on Wednesday night.
Karen Pence greeted her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, after the debate without wearing a mask.
Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris was joined by her husband on the other side of the stage, wearing a mask.
WATCH: Second Lady Karen Pence joins VP Mike Pence on stage without a mask after #VPDebate. pic.twitter.com/YgmDjIy32J
— The Hill (@thehill) October 8, 2020
According to Karen Pence’s spokesperson Kara D. Brooks, both sides agreed they would not be required to wear masks when they approached their spouses.
“Second Lady Karen followed an agreement established between both campaigns prior to the debate,” Brooks wrote in a statement obtained by USA Today.
She added, “Both sides agreed that the spouses would remove their masks when they walked onto the stage at the end of the debate.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) took other steps to protect both candidates after President Donald Trump tested positive for the virus.
During the debate Pence and Harris were separated by plexiglass.
In addition to the plexiglass, the commission agreed to have Pence and Harris sit 13 feet apart instead of seven feet apart, as IJR previously reported.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was asked if he would support using plexiglass in the next presidential debate.
“I’m not an expert on it, but I think we should be very cautious,” Biden said.
Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19, as IJR previously reported.
Harris also tested negative.
The second presidential debate scheduled for Oct. 15 will be virtual, according to the commission. Trump told Fox News he will not participate in a virtual debate.
Biden urged the commission to reschedule the debate because Trump should not be able to “evade” questions from voters and so he “is not able to evade accountability.”
