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Tags: karen pence | mask | debate | douglas emhoff | vice president | mike pence

Second Lady's Office: 'Both Sides Agreed' to Remove Masks

karen pence unmasked walks on the debate stage to kiss husband vice president mike pence
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence (Patrick Semansky/AP)

By    |   Thursday, 08 October 2020 05:17 PM EDT

Second lady Karen Pence's maskless walk on stage after the vice presidential debate raised eyebrows Wednesday night, but her office said that was the agreed upon plan.

"Second Lady Karen followed an agreement established between both campaigns prior to the debate," Karen Pence spokeswoman Kara Brooks wrote in a statement to The Hill. "Both sides agreed that the spouses would remove their masks when they walked onto the stage at the end of the debate."

But the husband of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Douglas Emhoff, conspicuously left his mask on for his walk on stage after the debate.

It should be noted second lady Karen Pence was wearing a mask in the audience during the debate, as mandated by the Presidential Commission on Debates.

All of the parties tested negative for COVID-19 before the debate.

Eric Mack

Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
Second lady Karen Pence's maskless walk on stage after the vice presidential debate raised eyebrows Wednesday night, but her office said that was the agreed-upon plan.
karen pence, mask, debate, douglas emhoff, vice president, mike pence
136
2020-17-08
Thursday, 08 October 2020 05:17 PM
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