Is Joe Biden At The Vice Presidential Debate? The Actual VP Has Made His Opinions Known

The Democratic and Republican vice presidential candidates, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, will meet at the sole vice presidential debate of this election on Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. Our current vice president has been actively stumping for the Democratic Party, and recently shared his take on the first presidential debate with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, but will Joe Biden be at the vice presidential debate?

While this debate isn't receiving anywhere near the same level of hype as the first debate between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump in September, there's still a fair amount of curiosity over what will go down and who'll be in the audience during the one and only debate between their running mates.

While Biden had a few things to say about the first presidential debate, it's still unclear if he'll head to Virginia to watch the two men currently vying for his job discuss policy. He recently helped President Barack Obama welcome the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams after stumping (and Instagramming) for the Democratic Party in Philadelphia. But while Biden's megawatt smile might make for some great reactionary GIFs, his appearance could also prove distracting from the event at hand.

While Biden hasn't made any plans to attend (or not attend) the 2016 vice presidential debate public, he might have a few tips for how Kaine and Pence can draw in viewers. The vice presidential debate of the 2008 election, which saw Biden take on then-Alaska-Gov. Sarah Palin, was reportedly the most-watched vice presidential debate in history, with 69.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Ratings.


Both vice presidential candidates reportedly used mock debates to prepare for Tuesday's showdown. While the contest between Kaine and Pence is likely to lack much of the political theater that dominated Clinton and Trump's first debate, it might prove to be a better opportunity for both campaigns to dig into their policies and party platforms.

While Kaine hopes to continue building on the momentum generated by Clinton's performance at the first presidential debate by drilling down on the issues and framing Pence as extremely far-right, Trump's running mate will likely look to driving focus to Clinton's controversies and shedding light on his campaign's plans.

The lone vice presidential debate of this year's election is shaping up to be a bit of a snoozefest compared to last week's rumble between Clinton and Trump, but that may be exactly why voters should tune in. Policy, and not mudslinging, will likely be the main focus when Kaine and Pence come face to face at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia on Oct. 4.