Vice President Mike Pence does not want to debate with a plexiglass divider in front of him, the Washington Post reports.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that they had approved plans to install plexiglass barriers between the vice president and Sen. Kamala Harris, (D-CA) as well as between the candidates and debate moderator Susan Page.
But Pence’s team said Tuesday that a plexiglass divider is not medically necessary, as the candidates will now be 12 feet apart and both candidates continue to get tested.
Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, said that Harris was welcome to have a divider if she wished.
“If she wants it, she’s more than welcome to surround herself with plexiglass if that makes her feel more comfortable,” Short said to the Washington Post. “It’s not needed.”
It is unclear whether the Debate Commission will honor Pence’s request for the debate that is scheduled for Wednesday evening.
The vice president’s physician, Jesse Shconau, issued a memo Tuesday informing the public that Pence tested negative for the virus on Tuesday.
Schonau wrote that Pence “remained healthy, without any COVID-19 symptoms, and has continued to have daily COVID-19 antigen tests and intermittent PCR tests which have all resulted as negatives.”
The University of Utah will host the debate that will air at 9:00 p.m. EST.
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