The coronavirus pandemic, race relations and the ill-fated Rose Garden event were all heated topics for discussion during today's vice presidential debate.
Mike Pence and Kamala Harris went head-to-head in the 90-minute debate for the first and only time before the 3 November election.
While the discussion was , the conversation grew heated at times and raised several important points.
The coronavirus pandemic will remain front and centre
The coronavirus pandemic was already pegged as the most defining issue of the 2020 election, with the Trump administration's health and economic response holding a big stake in their re-election chances.
The debate moderator, USA Today anchor Susan Page, opened by asking each candidate about the president's response to the pandemic.
Senator Harris opened with a direct attack on Mr Trump's record.
"The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country," she said.
She then posed a series of questions to the American people: "How calm were you when you were panicked about where you were going to get your next roll of toilet paper? How calm were you when your kids were sent home from school and didn't know when they could go back? How calm were you when your children couldn't see your parents because you were afraid that they could kill you?"
Mr Pence praised his administration for banning travel in March and "putting the health of America first".
"There is not a day that's gone by that I haven't thought of every American family who has lost a loved one. And I want every American to know that you'll be in our hearts and in our prayers," he said.
He also accused Mr Biden of largely copying the plan Mr Trump had already implemented in his own coronavirus response.
“It looks a little bit like plagiarism,” he said. “Which Joe Biden knows something about.”
Mike Pence did not commit to a peaceful transfer of power
Mr Pence sidestepped a question about whether President Donald Trump would commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election.
"If we have a free and fair election, we know we’re going to have confidence in it, and I believe in my heart that President Trump will be re-elected for four more years," he said.
In September, Mr Trump refused to guarantee he would transfer power if he lost the November election.
Asked whether he would commit to this basic tenet during a White House press conference, he said: "Well, we're going to have to see what happens."
The president went on to claim mail-in ballots were vulnerable to mass fraud and were being encouraged by Democrats to rig the election, despite a lack of evidence.
"Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful, there won't be a transfer, frankly. There'll be a continuation," he said.
The Trump administration continues to defend ill-fated Rose Garden event
Mr Pence defended Mr Trump's decision to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court at a Rose Garden ceremony on 26 September where there was no social distancing.
The event has been linked to several members of the Trump administration subsequently testing positive for COVID-19.
Mr Pence said there had been much "speculation" around the event, and noted many of the people who attended "actually were tested for coronavirus".
“It was an outdoor event, which all of our scientists regularly and routinely advise,” he added.
However, Mr Pence failed to mention there was an indoor portion too, which was held in the White House’s Diplomatic Room and Cabinet Room. Photos and videos from the event showed guests not abiding by social distancing rules; they were seen hugging and shaking hands, and many were not wearing masks.
Mr Trump announced his positive COVID diagnosis less than a week after the event.
President Donald Trump stands with Judge Amy Coney Barrett as they announce her as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the White House Rose Garden. Source: AAP
Supreme Court picks will be a recurring issue
Mr Pence pressed Senator Harris to answer whether a Biden administration would “pack” the Supreme Court by adding liberal justices if they win the election.
“People are voting right now, they would like to know if you and Joe Biden are going to pack the Supreme Court if you don’t get your way in this nomination,” Mr Pence said.
“Are you and Joe Biden going to pack the court if Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed? Are you going to pack the court?” he asked.
“Your party is actually openly advocating adding seats to the Supreme Court, which has had nine seats for 150 years, if you don’t get your way.”
Senator Harris did not answer the question directly, keeping in line with Mr Biden's strategy on this topic.
“I’m so glad we went through a little history lesson. Let’s do that a little more,” she responded, before pointing out that former president Abraham Lincoln chose not to fill a Supreme Court vacancy when it arose less than a month before the 1864 election.
“Honest Abe said it’s not the right thing to do,” Senator Harris argued.
“The American people deserve to make the decision about who will be the next president of the United States, and then that person can select who will serve for a lifetime on the highest court of our land."
Kamala Harris refused to 'be lectured' on race relations
When each candidate was asked about America's justice system, Senator Harris was at her most passionate as she slammed the president for refusing to condemn white supremacists.
Mr Pence responded saying he trusted the justice system and suggesting it was insulting to America's police officers to imply the country was racist.
"I will not sit here and be lectured by the vice-president on what it means to enforce the laws of this country," the former San Francisco prosecutor and California Attorney-General replied.
A CBS News analysis found that Mr Pence interrupted Senator Harris twice as much as she interrupted him over the course of the 90-minute debate.
CBS anchor Norah O'Donnell noted Mr Pence interrupted the California senator 10 times, while she interrupted the vice president five times.
CNN analysis found speaking time during the debate was more evenly carved-up, with Mr Pence speaking for 36 minutes and 27 seconds versus 36 minutes and 24 seconds for Senator Harris.
