# Mike Pence debate fly

> A fly on Mike Pence’s head became a meme; the Biden campaign sold nearly 35,000 swatters.

- Owner: null
- Kind: Moment
- Sector: Politics & civic
- Seed date: 2020-10-08
- Peak date: 2020-10-08
- Spread Score: 62 (Viral), v1.2
- Mechanics: Response chain, Platform jump, Press loop, Political adoption, Newsjacking

## Summary

A fly sat on Mike Pence’s head during the vice-presidential debate. Viewers made jokes and parody accounts; Biden’s campaign turned the moment into fundraising and fly swatters. SNL parodied it, and Pence revisited it in his memoir.

## Timeline

- 2020-10-08 — Eddy Burback (@eddyburback) (X) — Eddy Burback posted a clip of the fly on Pence’s head at 02:20 UTC.
- 2020-10-08 — Joe Biden (X) — Biden posted a photo holding a fly swatter and asked supporters to donate $5 at 02:33 UTC.
- 2020-10-08 — TheWrap (Press) — TheWrap published fly footage and collected viewers’ reactions at 02:35 UTC.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/mike-pence-debate-fly

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Mike Pence debate fly.” Case HIS-00392. Spread Score v1.2: 62/100. Updated 2026-10-12. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00392