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Kamala Harris had the perfect response when asked about Mike Pence's fly

Takeaways from Wednesday's vice presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence.
Scenes from the 2020 vice presidential debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence moderated by Susan Page. (Associated Press)

Leave it to Whoopi Goldberg to ask Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) the question still on everybody's mind: "Did you see the fly?"

On Monday's episode of "The View," Harris and hosts Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming election, the senator's vision for America — and the fly that infamously landed on Mike Pence's head during the 2020 vice presidential debate earlier this month.

"I have to ask you this question, Kamala. And it's as silly as it gets, but it's my favorite," Goldberg said toward the end of their chat. "So you're sitting, and you're having this debate, and you look over, and you see the fly circling. Do you first think to yourself, 'Uh-oh. I see it. Do I tell him, or do I finish making my point?'

"Did you see the fly first or did you discover it later? That's my question."

The comedian's insect inquiry got a chuckle — and not much else — out of Harris, who preferred to focus on more important issues.

"Oh, Whoopi," Harris replied, laughing. "Let me just say that I think we should get beyond the fly and fly away from this subject and move on."

"But I appreciate the question," she added.

That didn't stop Goldberg, though, from offering her own perspective on the buzzy moment that spawned countless memes, "Mike Pence's fly" Twitter accounts, late-night TV jokes and an inevitable "Saturday Night Live" gag featuring Jim Carrey's Joe Biden as America's favorite bug.

"I know when I saw it, I thought, 'OK, would I tell him?'" Goldberg continued. "Maybe I'd wait a little while, 'cause I'm terrible that way."

Harris responded similarly to a recent viral clip of President Trump mispronouncing her name at a campaign rally while declaring that she "will not be your first female president" and that "we're not going to have a socialist president — especially a female socialist president."

"It's so predictable coming from him," Harris said, shaking her head. "Look, the name calling is not new to me. It's not new to anybody who played on the playground as a child. But this is not the playground. ... The country is in the middle of a pandemic ... as many as 30 million Americans have lost their jobs. ...

"We're in the midst of a hunger crisis. And so I don't think any of us should be distracted by the president's frankly childish behavior. ... What the American people need is to know that they are seen and that there are leaders who are addressing the suffering and addressing their needs for themselves and their families. That's what people deserve, and so I'm not going to be distracted by what he's doing. It's just not a good use of time, frankly."

The "View" crew and Harris also talked about her and Biden's plans for the future of America, including their stances on climate change, the economy and healthcare issues, as well as their promises for Black Americans.

"Joe Biden has a knowledge of America's history on race and the courage to speak the phrase 'Black Lives Matter.' Donald Trump will never say that," Harris told Hostin. "We will invest $70 billion in HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities]. We understand that Black businesses, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses have been disproportionately impacted — not only by the pandemic but even before — without being denied access to capital."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.