Pence, Harris face off in VP debate with diverging views of America

Sen. Harris was once a proponent of the Green New Deal as both a co-sponsor of Sen. Bernie Sanders' bill and as a presidential candidate.

Since becoming Biden's running mate, Harris has moved away from her support, instead, embracing Biden's climate plan, which calls for the U.S. to rejoin the Paris Climate agreement, aims for the U.S. to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and invests $2 trillion in clean energy and infrastructure.

Fracking contributes to the economy in Pence's home state of Indiana and he's an advocate for the fossil fuel industry. He once called global warming a "myth," but has evolved slightly to say "there's no question" human activity has "some impact on climate change." He touts the economic sectors of oil, gas, fracking and coal as areas that boost job creation and the overall economy. He also hailed Trump for removing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, which he has called a "bad deal since the moment it was signed" by the Obama administration in 2015.

He also misleadingly told a group of farmers and ranchers in Iowa that he was not going to let Harris reduce the amount of red meat Americans should eat, referencing a comment she made during a 2019 CNN town hall as a way to curb the impact of climate change.

"Sen. Kamala Harris said she would change the dietary guidelines of this country to reduce the amount of red meat Americans can eat. Well, I've got some red meat for you. We're not gonna let Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cut America's meat."

Changing health guidelines does not necessarily mean Americans will be required to implement them, they are only recommendations.

During the 2019 town hall, Harris was asked if she "would support changing the dietary guidelines" in the U.S. to reduce red meat consumption and she answered, "yes." She said, "I love cheeseburgers from time to time," but that there needs to be more education surrounding "the effect of our eating habits on our environment."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez and Averi Harper

Pence has stood by and pushed the Trump campaign message of "law and order" and has remained a vigorous defender of police. In an interview with ABC News Live Anchor Linsey Davis, Pence said that he and Trump "reject the notion from Joe Biden and others that there's an 'implicit bias' towards minorities in law enforcement."

"The president and I know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement and supporting all of the families that live in our major cities," Pence told a crowd of supporters in Lititz, Pennsylvania. "We have done both for the last three and a half years, and we're going to support law enforcement and support our African American and minority families for four more years in the White House."

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Mike Pence defends Trump rallies amid pandemicThe vice president said “some politics is being played” by state lawmakers with where President Donald Trump can hold his rallies.

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The vice president has dismissed the "defund the police" movement and has called for more resources and better training and accountability in law enforcement.

On matters of racial discrimination in policing and use of force, Harris has called for the rooting out of racial discrimination. In the aftermath of George Floyd's killing while in police custody she participated in protests in Washington, D.C.

During an appearance on ABC's "The View" in June, Harris was asked by co-host Meghan McCain if she supports the "Defund the Police" slogan, but did not give a direct answer on where she stands.

"We need to re-imagine how we are achieving public safety in America. And to have cities where one-third of their entire budget is going to policing but yet there's a dire need in those same cities for mental health resources, for resources going into public schools, for resources going into job training and job creation. Come on. We have to be honest about this that there isn't a consensus around this because if there were, we would actually see a smarter distribution of resources in our country to address the issues that need to be addressed."

After the shooting by police of Jacob Blake, she met with Blake's family in Wisconsin and spoke with Blake over the phone. She also told NBC News, "I think that there should be a thorough investigation, and based on what I've seen, it seems that the officer should be charged." She's also kept in contact with Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor who was shot by Louisvill, Kentucky, police while she was sleeping in her home.

Harris has called for economic and educational investment in communities of color to create safer, healthier communities. She and Biden have called for an end to no-knock warrants, chokeholds and carotid holds. They want to create a national excessive force standard and create a database to track cops who use excessive force and break the rules. The pair want to end cash bail and private prisons.

"We have to understand that you can't think that the only way to create safe communities is to put more police on the streets, that's not how it's going to work," Harris told pop star Lizzo on an Instagram Live stream in September.

In contrast, Harris wrote in her 2009 book "Smart on Crime," "if we take a show of hands of those who would like to see more police officers on the street, mine would shoot up."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez and Averi Harper

Former Vice President Joe Biden told reporters his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris will “do well” against Vice President Mike Pence when they meet on the debate stage in Salt Lake City in a matter of hours.

Exiting from his car in Wilmington, Delaware, and giving a quick wave to reporters, Biden initially ignored shouted questions from the press about his advice for Harris.

Biden then turned back and said, “She’s gonna do well” with a thumbs up before he entered the building for a fundraising event. 

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

In February, Trump announced that Pence would lead the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest crisis he's ever managed in his political career. Pence held numerous White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings at the height of the pandemic and oversaw the deployment of personal protective equipment and ventilators to states facing an overwhelming number of patients.

Pence repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus, both with his actions and public statements. He once said that the pandemic would largely be behind the nation by Memorial Day and in April, Pence disregarded a Mayo Clinic policy and did not wear a mask while visiting patients in Minnesota, even after his office was informed about the policy there.

Since that visit, Pence and his staff have been more consistent in wearing a mask in public, but he has occasionally walked a rope line after campaign events without one, signing autographs, but staying a few feet back.

Harris has continuously condemned Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and repeatedly called for leaders to "listen to the scientists and the experts," on how to proceed. In August, when she and Biden sat down with ABC's "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir and "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, Harris said their approach will be guided by public health experts "unlike what we have seen now which are the politics guiding a public health crisis."

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Joe Biden, Kamala Harris talk COVID-19 and taxes with ABC's David Muir: Part 1In their first joint interview after the Democratic National Convention, the two spoke exclusively to the "World News Tonight" anchor and "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts.

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Harris has called for what she describes as a national "standard" for wearing masks. And on a possible vaccine for the coronavirus, Harris said she wouldn't solely believe Trump on its efficacy. She said she'd want to hear information from credible sources before believing it's safe. "I will not take his word for it," Harris said on CNN. "He wants us to ingest bleach."

-ABC News' Justin Gomez and Averi Harper