Pence Heads to Utah for TV Debate... "Trump Told Me Not to Worry and Go to Utah"

Departed for Utah on the 7th to Prepare for the Forum
Temporarily Transfer of Power Possibility Denied by Some
Forum Committee States "No Entry Without Mask" Strictly Enforced

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. Vice President Mike Pence headed to Salt Lake City, Utah, on the 7th (local time) for the scheduled vice presidential candidate TV debate. Vice President Pence denied rumors that temporary power transfer could occur, stating that President Donald Trump personally told him to go to Utah. He also expressed gratitude to supporters who wished for President Trump's speedy recovery and said he would win the debate.

According to the White House, on the 5th, before boarding the plane to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the vice presidential candidate TV debate will be held on the 7th, Vice President Pence held a press conference and said, "President Trump informed me today that he will be discharged and return to the White House, telling me to leave for Utah without worry." He added, "President Trump is very much looking forward to this vice presidential debate." After President Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Maryland due to COVID-19, rumors spread that Vice President Pence might temporarily assume presidential powers as acting president, leading to speculation that Pence's trip to Utah might be difficult.

Vice President Pence previously underwent a COVID-19 test immediately after President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive on the 2nd, and he announced that both he and his wife Karen Pence tested negative. Due to this, there were expectations that if President Trump were to be hospitalized long-term and unable to perform his duties, Vice President Pence, as the first in the line of succession, could temporarily act as president.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which is hosting this debate, mandated mask-wearing, stating that anyone entering the debate hall without a mask will be removed. The CPD emphasized, "Anyone not wearing a mask will be escorted out of the debate hall."

This is interpreted as a response to the first U.S. presidential candidate TV debate held on the 29th of last month, where President Trump, his aides, and key figures did not wear masks, and infection news followed shortly after. At that time, President Trump, First Lady Melania, Trump's children, and staff all appeared without masks, causing controversy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.