Tonight was the one and only Vice-Presidential Debate—the night where we get to see two guys, whom we previously may have known only as jars of mayonnaise, take the stage to prove they can hold their own on issues from the Syrian conflict to reproductive rights. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia spent most of the night contrasting Hillary Clinton’s impressive resume with Donald Trump’s litany of cringeworthy insults, while Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana seemed to want to avoid talking about Trump at all costs. And both of them were dead-set on interrupting each other, and moderator Elaine Quijano, as much as possible. If you couldn’t watch the debate Tuesday (or just didn’t want to) here are five must-see moments from the night.
1. Pence started off by thanking the wrong university.
Mike Pence thanked "Norwood University" during the #VPDebate, held at Longwood University https://t.co/lzNW3m7R62https://t.co/xMhBLnPjH7
— CNN (@CNN) October 5, 2016
Pence started off the debate by thinking “Norwood University” for hosting. The only problem? They were at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. Oops! It’s fine though, we all make mistakes.
2. Kaine listed the many, many insults Trump’s made against women, Mexicans and others. Pence countered with “deplorables.”
In a debate tactic that many think may have harmed Kaine’s popularity among viewers, the Senator insisted upon reciting long lists of quotes from Trump, and frequently interrupted Pence to check his facts and hammer home Trump's problems. He reminded viewers that Trump has called women “pigs” and “slobs,” has suggested banning all Muslims from entering the country, and has called Mexicans rapists and criminals—overall running an “insult-driven” campaign.
Pence’s answer was that Clinton and Kaine are the insult-driven campaign, given that Clinton called half of Trump’s supporters a “basket of deplorables” less than a month ago.
3. Pence accused Kaine of “whipping out that Mexican thing again.”
During an answer about the two candidates’ faith lives and how they incorporate religion into their politics, Kaine brought up Trump’s comments about Mexicans being rapists again. Pence, shaking his head, said, “Senator, you’ve whipped out that Mexican thing again.” Despite the fact that those words in that order are just hilarious, the comment showed Pence making light of a racist and hurtful comment that has seriously affected people’s view of Trump’s character—not a great look. Clinton has already capitalized by redirecting “thatmexicanthing.com” to her campaign website.
4. Kaine went to bat for a woman’s right to choose.
Pence is known for being pro-life—in his time as governor of Indiana he's worked hard to pass legislation that will roll back reproductive rights. But after he talked about the “value and worth of every human life” and treating our society’s “most vulnerable” well, Kaine asked him, “Why don’t you trust women? Why doesn’t Donald Trump trust women?” He made the great point that while it’s fine to present women with choices like adoption, we need to have confidence that every woman will make the right choice for her life, body and family—and that choice may be abortion.
5. They talked over each other. A lot.
Here's one minute of Kaine and Pence talking over each other during the #VPDebatehttps://t.co/OvTga1hKr3pic.twitter.com/QpVXZDQy9v
— CNN (@CNN) October 5, 2016
Much of the debate was just the two VP candidates interrupting and talking over each other. There were even moments when moderator Elaina Quijano joined the fray for a while, making it almost impossible to figure out what anyone was saying. So much for time limits and sticking to the point—both candidates just wanted to get the most words in edgewise.