Pence jokes he will ‘bring a fly swatter’ to first GOP debate

Former Vice President Pence, during a campaign stop at the Iowa State Fair, brought back memories from his last debate, joking that this time he would bring a fly swatter.

Pence was asked about his strategy on Friday, including how he would defend himself against other candidates and his former boss, the current GOP frontrunner, should former President Trump decide to attend.

During an interview stop, NewsNation’s Kellie Meyers asked, “No flies, right?”

“Well, I think I’m gonna bring a fly swatter this time,” Pence quipped, adding “You know they had a plexiglass wall at that Vice Presidential debate, but it wasn’t tall enough to stop a fly.”

They were alluding to a 2020 vice presidential debate between himself and now-Vice President Kamala Harris. During the event, a fly made a surprise appearance on top of Pence’s head — later becoming a viral moment on social media.

President Biden, who was at the time the Democratic nominee, later made light of the moment by asking supporters to donate money to help his “campaign fly.”

“Pitch in $5 to help this campaign fly,” Biden wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at the time, including a link to his campaign’s donation page and picture of himself holding a fly-swatter.

Despite her proximity to the bug, Harris did not appear to acknowledge it during the debate. She later told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow that she noticed it.

“I think it’s important that we kind of find a way all of us to move on and, you know, kind of fly away from this subject on to something else,” Harris joked.

The moment was significant enough to garner a Saturday Night Live spoof.

Pence announced on Monday that his campaign had met the criteria to qualify for the first Republican debate later this month.

He told the Hill in a brief interview on Friday that he’s ready to take on his opponents, most notably Trump.

“I think I’ve been preparing for this debate my whole life,” Pence told The Hill. “I spent a lifetime in the Republican Party and in the conservative movement … I think I’m going to be the most consistent and experienced conservative on that stage.” 

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.