SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – There were plenty of serious moments on Wednesday night during the vice-presidential debates, but when a large fly landed on Vice President Mike Pence’s hair it set off a Twitter storm.
The insect made it’s ‘fly on’ appearance around 7:17 Pacific Time when it landed and stayed on the Vice President’s hair for about two minutes, making it hard for people to focus on his words. Pence had just been asked about justice for Breonna Taylor.
READ MORE: COVID: Backlogged Cases Push California Virus Deaths Past 50,000WATCH: A fly appears to land on VP Mike Pence's head. #VPDebate pic.twitter.com/pMWBxdlwgm
— The Hill (@thehill) October 8, 2020
The fly remained on the Vice President’s head during Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris’ rebuttal, where she criticized President Donald Trump’s reluctance to condemn white supremacists during last week’s debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
In Case You Were Distracted By The Fly: This is what Sen. @KamalaHarris said about racial justice during that moment. Exact @cbsnews> pic.twitter.com/pkL1mXez79
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) October 8, 2020
Not long after, hundreds of ‘Fly On Mike Pence’ accounts popped up on Twitter. Pence’s fly was retweeted about a half a million times before the end of the debate.
A Fly Landed In Mike Pence's Hair During the VP Debate and Twitter Lost Its Mind https://t.co/JuRxcpF8EG
— Marie Claire (@marieclaire) October 8, 2020
READ MORE: Arrest Made In San Francisco Cliff House Burglary; Memorabilia Recovered
Why yes, it does already have its own Twitter account. https://t.co/2uUZv6yDa4
— Esquire (@esquire) October 8, 2020
#VPDebate: Pence's left eye was vying with a fly landing on the vice president's head as part of the more light-hearted Twitter conversation around the debate https://t.co/2Z29kI6D43 pic.twitter.com/1mKONkDqFi
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 8, 2020
Even the Biden campaign capitalized on the fly, by offering a fly swatter on their website with the message “Truth over Flies.” Biden’s campaign had reportedly raised $150,000 in less than two hours, according to CBS News political reporter Sarah Ewall-Wice.
MORE NEWS: Multiple Agencies Ramp Up Search For Rogue Coyote That Bit 5 Lamorinda VictimsSo you can now buy a Biden-Harris fly swatter. https://t.co/RlSkaQNilG
— Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) October 8, 2020