Vice President Mike Pence is requesting that no plexiglass dividers be placed on his side of the stage at Wednesday night’s vice-presidential debate, after an announcement Monday by the Commission on Presidential Debates that dividers had been agreed to as a safety measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, said the vice president’s team does not view plexiglass dividers as medically necessary, given other safety measures at the debate, including a 12-foot distance between Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and daily testing of both candidates.
The commission and the Biden campaign both said Tuesday they understood that the Pence team was in agreement with the notion of plexiglass barriers. But the Pence team suggested they did not want any such dividers around the vice president, regardless of what Harris does.
“If she wants it, she’s more than welcome to surround herself with plexiglass if that makes her feel more comfortable,” Short said. “It’s not needed.”
The issue was expected to come up for discussion at a meeting between the two campaigns and the commission later Tuesday.
The dispute plays into a larger clash of messages between the Trump and Biden campaigns. Trump argues that the coronavirus has largely been conquered and there is no need for burdensome restrictions; Biden’s campaign is based largely on a critique of the president’s handling of the pandemic. For both sides, plexiglass dividers could be seen as a symbol of the continued threat posed by the virus.
The Commission on Presidential Debates has not yet announced the final design for the stage. Both campaigns agreed last week to extend the distance between Pence and Harris from about seven feet to 12 feet.
The Trump campaign has also resisted a request by the Biden campaign that both candidates stand during the debate. The current plan has them sitting at separate tables.
The Biden camp has sought to stress that it is following the science, including the guidelines provided by the Cleveland Clinic, the medical adviser to the debates.
“The Cleveland Clinic is responsible for the safety of the debate. We will abide by their determination on safety measures,” said a Biden campaign official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss deliberations. “All questions about the adequacy of the safety measures should be addressed to the Cleveland Clinic.”
Both campaigns are aware that the outcome of the negotiations could create a precedent for the remaining presidential debates between Biden and Trump, who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Biden and Trump are scheduled to meet again on Oct. 15 and 22 for two more debates.
Trump, who was released from the hospital Monday, said Tuesday that he intended to take part in the next debate, tweeting, “I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami. It will be great!”
Biden’s aides have said the former vice president will attend if Trump is medically cleared and the debate follows public health guidelines.
Pence attended a White House Rose Garden ceremony with several people who have since tested positive on Sept. 26, 11 days before Wednesday’s debate. He sat immediately in front of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, three rows in front of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and five seats away from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
All three have since tested positive for the virus, along with at least 10 others who had contact with the White House or the Trump campaign.
Pence’s team contends that he did not come close to anyone who contracted the virus.
“Under the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, the Vice President is not considered a close contact with any individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus, including President Donald Trump,” Jesse Schonau, physician to the vice president, wrote in a letter Friday. “Vice President Pence does not need to quarantine.”
Katie Miller, a Pence spokeswoman, said he was last in the Oval Office two days before Trump’s test, and was not within six feet of the president for more than 15 minutes.
A Pence adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the information, said none of Pence’s aides who will attend the debate in Salt Lake City have recently been near anyone testing positive. “There is not one person on our staff who according to CDC guidelines would be a close contact of anyone who tested positive,” the adviser said.
The University of Utah, which is hosting the debate, has campus guidelines that follow federal health standards. Any faculty member who has “close contact” with someone who tests positive or has coronavirus symptoms is asked to self-quarantine for 14 days and self-monitor for symptoms.
Close contact is defined as coming within six feet of an infected individual, starting from two days before the onset of the illness - or for an asymptomatic person, starting two days before a positive test.