Politics

FACT CHECK: Did Mike Pence Say He Won’t Debate Kamala Harris?

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A post shared on Facebook claims Vice President Mike Pence said he will not debate Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence Pence made such a statement. Pence has stated he “can’t wait” to debate Harris.

Fact Check:

Biden announced the California senator as his pick for vice president on Aug. 11, The Washington Post reported. Since then, Harris has been the subject of several viral rumors, with this particular post claiming Pence said that he “won’t debate Kamala.”

But the Facebook post fails to provide a source for the claim, and the Daily Caller News Foundation found no evidence Pence ever made this remark. Such a declaration would almost certainly have been covered by the media, yet no news reporting could be found to corroborate the claim. No similar comments appear on the vice president’s verified social media accounts either.

Pence has publicly stated that he looks forward to debating Harris. In an Aug. 12 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Pence said, “I think she is a skilled debater, but I can’t wait to get to Salt Lake City and be on the stage with her, to compare Joe Biden’s nearly 50 years in public life – the agenda of the radical left, the agenda that she’s embraced throughout her political career – with the results of this president and this administration.”

Fox News reported that Pence also made a similar remark the previous day at an event in Mesa, Arizona: “So my message to the Democratic nominee for vice president: Congratulations. I’ll see you in Salt Lake City.”

The vice presidential debate is currently scheduled to take place at the University of Utah on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, according to CNN.