Seth Meyers recaps the Pence-Kaine VP debate, focusing on the awkward Trump-Pence disconnect


Tuesday night was the sole vice-presidential debate between Gov. Mike Pence (R) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D), "and while Kaine seemed to channel Donald Trump in the number of times he interrupted, Pence seemed to act like Donald Trump wasn't even his running mate," Seth Meyers said in his Late Show debate recap Wednesday night. Meyers compared Kaine to an overprotective father and Pence to a vindictive vice principal, made cruel jokes about Kaine's harmonica playing, ridiculed Donald Trump's live-tweeting of the debate — though "according to CNN, he wasn't allowed to tweet without his handlers surrounding him," Meyers noted — and mocked Kaine's "terrible zingers."
Pence made sure to test out the microphone before the debate, a point Meyers apparently only brought up so he could show Michelle Obama's burn of Trump's own microphone complaints. "Check out how good Michelle Obama's burn game is right now," Meyers said. "Not only did she not say Trump's name, she burned him with one hand."
Meyers spent the last part of his "closer look" focused on Pence, starting with his "absurd insistence" that Hillary Clinton's campaign is the one driven by insults. "Donald Trump drops so many insults it's like Don Rickles and Triumph had a baby who had a Twitter account," he said. Meyers also noted the disconnect between what Pence said about Trump and what Trump has said. "Pence in this debate was like a candidate from an alternate universe where his running mate wasn't Donald Trump," he argued. "As much as Pence lied about Trump's record, pundits declared him the winner last night on style. His calm demeanor got glowing reviews, specifically in comparison to Donald Trump's terrible debate performance — and apparently that made Trump very jealous." Meyers spent the last minute flat-out trolling Trump about Pence's superior performance, and you can watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?
the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black Keys
Feature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show