Pence, Harris face off in VP debate with diverging views of America

PENCE'S CLAIM: "When President Trump and I took office, America had gone through the slowest economic recovery since the great depression. ... We're going through a pandemic that lost 22 million jobs at the height, we've already added back 11.6 million jobs."

FACT CHECK: With September's jobs report, over 11.4 million jobs have been added since March. But job gains have slowed in the past three months, showing the recovery is starting to lose momentum.

In September, 661,000 jobs were added, which was worse than expectations. The unemployment rate also declined to 7.9%, better than expectations.

The jobs number represented a significant slowdown in the number of jobs added since the economy started opening up after the pandemic induced shutdown.

Airlines such as United and American notified over 30,000 employees that they would be laid off or furloughed because the federal aid expired. Disney, the parent company of ABC News, announced it was eliminating 28,000 theme park jobs in Florida and California, and Cineworld, parent company of Regal Cinemas, the second-largest theater chain in the United States, said Monday that it will close all of its U.S. and U.K. theaters indefinitely, affecting 45,000 employees. These positions weren't included in the September report.

In September, the number of permanent job losses increased by 345,000 to 3.8 million; this measure has risen by 2.5 million since February.

Though the expansion of the U.S. economy was slow under the start of the Obama administration during the Great Recession, in the final four years GDP growth was at a 2.3%, nearly similar to the 2.5% in the first three years of Trump, according to The Associated Press.

--ABC News' Justin Gomez, Layne Winn and Zunaira Zaki

At the end of the debate, Harris and Pence took a final question from a high school student who asked about civility in politics.

Pence touted "free and open debate" as the basis for American life. Pence referenced the relationship between late-Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia for their close relationship despite ideological differences. 

"I just want to encourage you, I want to tell you that we're going to work every day to have government as good as our people," Pence said. "The American people, each and every day, love a good debate and a good argument. But we always come together, and we're always there for one another in times of need. And we've especially learned that through the difficulties of this year."

Harris responded by talking about Biden's efforts to be bipartisan and work across the aisle.

"So when you think about the future, I do believe the future is bright. And it will be because of your leadership, and it will be because we fight for each person's voice through their vote. And we get engaged in this election," Harris said. "You have the ability through your work, and eventually your vote, to determine the future of our country and what its leadership looks like."

Page asked both candidates how they would react if Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power if Biden were to win the election.

Both candidates dodged the question and used the opportunity to begin pitching their closing message to voters. 

"Joe and I are particularly proud of the coalition that we have built around our campaign. We probably have one of the broadest coalitions of folks that you've ever seen in a presidential race," Harris said. 

"It is within our power, and if we use our society, and we use our voice, we will win," she added. "And we will not let anyone subvert our democracy."

Pence suggested any concerns over a peaceful transfer of power are unfounded and that he expects Trump will win reelection.

"President Donald Trump has launched a movement of everyday Americans from every walk of life," Pence said, "and I have every confidence that the same Americans are delivering it in 2016."

PENCE'S CLAIM: "It was an outdoor event, which all of our scientists regularly and routinely advise."

FACT CHECK: Vice President Mike Pence defended the 200-person event the Trump administration held at the White House on Sept. 26 when President Donald Trump announced he would nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court -- despite the fact that over a dozen guests who attended have since tested positive, including the president and first lady Melania Trump.

While the main ceremony was held outside in the Rose Garden, numerous guests, including Trump, attended an indoor reception in the Diplomatic Room in the White House afterward. At least five people who attended the indoor portion of the event have since tested positive, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Public health experts have repeatedly advised against indoor events, which has found renewed importance in light of recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance advising that the virus can spread beyond 6 feet indoors.

Even for outdoor events, public health experts encourage wearing masks and maintaining 6 feet of distance from others. The Rose Garden event did not follow either of these social distancing norms; chairs were not spaced out, few guests opted to wear masks and guests hugged and shook hands.

The coronavirus outbreak has infected "34 White House staffers and other contacts" in recent days, according to an internal government memo, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previous known in the seat of American government, according to an ABC News report.

ABC News' Olivia Rubin and Leah Croll