When smiles turn into snarls, words become knives and citizens are faced with a choice. 

The traditional Vice Presidential Debate continued this election year between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris, in spite of concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak at the White House. 

Held in Salt Lake City, Utah on Wednesday, October 7, the Vice Presidential Debate felt more comfortable for many Americans compared to the unconventional Presidential Debate held on Tuesday, September 29. 

“The Vice Presidential Debate went much better than the Presidential Debate in my opinion because both Mike Pence and Kamala Harris are much better at public speaking and debating than both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are. The debate felt more familiar to what a traditional debate looks like…” Mrs. Gina Kutilek, a social studies teacher at Xavier, said. 

Many topics were addressed in the Vice Presidential debate, including heated discussions over COVID-19, taxes, climate change and the justice system. 

When asked about economic recovery plans by moderator Susan Page, Harris went into the basics of Biden’s plan, involving repealing Trump’s tax bill and reinvesting that money into infrastructure to create new jobs for Americans. 

Pence mainly spent his allotted time for this topic talking about what Trump has done during his term for the economy, eventually saying another term would result in more growth and opportunity. 

Multiple Xavier students with a passion for politics were able to watch the debate this election cycle. 

“…I was able to learn more about what they [Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris] plan to do about taxes and climate change, which I thought was beneficial to hear,” senior Miyako Coffey said. 

Some Xavier students discussed their favorite moments of the debate with one another. 

“We thought it was really impactful when Kamala Harris said, ‘Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,’” junior Randall Kinner and senior Brynn Teeling said. 

Other students also highlighted memorable quotes said throughout the night.

“The Mike Pence quote, ‘You’re entitled to your own opinion, you’re not entitled to your own facts,’ really moved me,” junior Andrew Kleineck said.  

Despite differences in this election cycle, the Vice Presidential Debate felt quintessentially American to the many who were watching, with witty remarks continuing to be made and tough questions asked about the future of this country.