Pence jokes he’ll ‘bring a fly swatter’ to first GOP debate

He’s not going to let this fly again.

Former Vice President Mike Pence joked on Friday that he’ll be armed with a fly swatter when he takes the stage for the first Republican presidential primary debate later this month, hoping to avoid a repeat of a viral moment from the 2020 campaign. 

A large black housefly stole the show during the October 2020 vice presidential debate after it perched on Pence’s neatly combed silver hair for two minutes and nine seconds as he debated Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City.

In an interview at the Iowa State Fair, The 64-year-old said he’ll be prepared in case any winged insects try to bug him this time around. 

“Well, I think I’m gonna bring a fly swatter this time,” he told NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer at the Iowa State Fair of how he’ll be preparing for the Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee. 

“You know they had a plexiglass wall at that vice presidential debate, but it wasn’t tall enough to stop a fly,” Pence recalled, referencing measures debate organizers put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The so-called “Flygate” incident overshadowed many of the exchanges between Harris and Pence during their first and only debate of the 2020 election cycle. 

The insect’s appearance generated quite a buzz, sparking the creation of dozens of parody Twitter accounts, a “Saturday Night Live” spoof and even a Halloween costume. 

Pence said at the time that he did not feel the fly and only learned of its existence from his children after the debate.

“They all told me, ‘Dad, you did OK,’ but they did tell me about the fly. It was a good laugh for all of us,” Pence said.

President Biden campaigned off of the incident, asking supporters on Twitter at the time to “pitch in $5 to help this campaign fly.” 

Harris told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow days after the debate that she did notice the fly and joked, “I think it’s important that we kind of find a way all of us to move on and, you know, kind of fly away from this subject on to something else.” 

Pence revealed on Friday that he intends to sign the Republican National Committee’s pledge to support the eventual GOP presidential nominee, a requirement to participate in the primary debates. 

He has also met the RNC’s fundraising and polling thresholds required to take the stage. 

“I’ve had a little bit of experience with nationally televised debates,” Pence said Friday, adding that he hopes former President Donald Trump decides to participate in the first debate.

“And for me, it’s always about talking to the American people. Now, there’s going to be choices. There’s differences, frankly, with the governor of Florida with other leading candidates, and I hope my former running mate is there too,” he said.