Normally, such a debate between vice presidential candidates is a “huge afterthought,” said US correspondent Björn Soenens. “They don’t really strengthen or weaken their candidate. But they do such a debate anyway, because vice presidents must replace the president if he gets sick or falls out.”
But in these presidential elections, it is more important than usual for Americans to know who those vice-president candidates are. “Current President Donald Trump has just been sick and his Democratic rival Joe Biden is almost 78 years old and could therefore drop out early if he is elected,” says Björn Soenens. “That is why the debate is viewed with suspicion.”
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