CBS’s Gayle King said the timing of a fly landing on Vice President Mike Pence’s head during the debate’s discussion on systemic racism was “very interesting.”
“At one point, when they were talking about systemic racism, I think it’s very interesting timing that a fly would land on Mike Pence’s head at that particular time, when he said that there really wasn’t systemic racism,” King said during CBS’s debate coverage Wednesday.
“I saw the fly basically going, ‘Say what?’ I mean, it was very interesting, that was — I don’t want to call that a highlight, but that was certainly a memorable moment.”
Fly as metaphor for CBS’ @GayleKing: “I think it’s very interesting timing that a fly would land on Mike Pence’s head at that particular time when he said that there really wasn’t systemic racism. You saw the fly basically going: ‘Say what?’…a memorable moment.” #VPDebate pic.twitter.com/WnEe4hlSKK
— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) October 8, 2020
A fly landed on Pence’s head about a third of the way through the debate, when the candidates were discussing systemic racism.
“I must tell you, this presumption that you hear consistently from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, that America is systemically racist, and that as Joe Biden said that he believes that law enforcement has an implicit bias against minorities is a great insult to the men and women who serve in law enforcement,” the vice president said.
“And I want everyone to know who puts on the uniform of law enforcement every day, President Trump and I stand with you. And it is remarkable that when Sen. Tim Scott tried to pass a police reform bill, brought together a group of Republicans and Democrats, Sen. Harris, you got up and walked out of the room, and then you filibustered Sen. Tim Scott’s bill on the Senate floor that would have provided new accountability, new repeat resources. We don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement, providing public safety, and supporting our African American neighbors and all of our minorities,” he continued.
The fly remained on his head for about two minutes, garnering the attention of pundits on Twitter, as well as anti-Trump Republican Steve Schmidt, who said flies are the “mark of the devil.”
“I don’t think it’s ever a good sign when a fly lands on your head for two minutes. You know, that’s a sign all through history of sin and historically, Biblically, maybe you wouldn’t normally say this — it’s only safe to say this, Ari, after midnight. But a fly, he who commands the fly, is always seen historically as a mark of the devil,” Schmidt said on MSNBC.
