A third candidate on stage may have shocked viewers of the US Vice-Presidential debate: a persistent fly that refused to move from the head of VP Mike Pence, causing many to declare the insect as the victor of the night.
Though the candidates were separated by plexiglass shields during Wednesday night’s debate amid fears of Covid-19, the precautions were no match for the intrepid fly, which was seen camping atop Pence’s head for several minutes while he and Senator Kamala Harris traded barbs on stage.
Just a full minute of a fly on Pence's head: pic.twitter.com/PjmoXDHdgV
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) October 8, 2020
With a far less contentious debate than the first contest between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the fly quickly stole the show, becoming the most discussed topic of the night and dominating the Twitter trends.
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Countless netizens from all political persuasions gathered behind the good showing of the fly, many giving it a high ranking over its human rivals in the debate.
The fly absolutely won the debate hands down 😎 But @KamalaHarris was a close second 🙏 Also, these moderators need to be replaced with drill sergeants with cattle prods & pepper ball guns ⚡️ #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/yAWVhm2LTW
— Barnacules Nerdgasm ™️ (@Barnacules) October 8, 2020
Pence won, the fly came in second, Kamala came in a distant third
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 8, 2020
Gee, what a surprise:
Fox News says Pence won.
MSNBC says Harris won.
Twitter says the fly.— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) October 8, 2020
Biden wasted no time before enlisting the fly to work on behalf of his campaign, sharing an image of himself wielding a fly swatter with a punny caption.
Pitch in $5 to help this campaign fly. https://t.co/CqHAId0j8t pic.twitter.com/NbkPl0a8HV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 8, 2020
The #VPDebate just ended and you can buy a "Truth Over Flies Fly Swatter" from the Biden website pic.twitter.com/AeJR5UVBkf
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 8, 2020
Providing a rare moment of unity in American politics, the fly has brought together the most vocal opponents and supporters of the Donald Trump administration, putting conservative activists on the same page as Antifa, who both voiced support for the insect
https://twitter.com/urfavsantifa/status/1314037418497114113?
Rankings for the Debate:
1. Pence
2. The Fly
3. The 8th grader
.
.
.
99. Kamala— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) October 8, 2020
With its newfound celebrity, the insect soon had his own Twitter handle – a swarm of them, in fact – while some joked it had “totally gone Hollywood,” already letting the fame go to its head.
BREAKING: The VP debate fly already has representation, has his own shoe line, has totally gone Hollywood and has been romantically linked to an undisclosed Kardashian. Scheduled to appear on The View and Ellen on Thursday. #VPDebate2020 pic.twitter.com/SKhsxUG4SF
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) October 8, 2020
