The 8 most important quotes from the vice presidential debate

On America's choice

"There is a choice for the American electorate: Do you want a 'You're hired' president in Hillary Clinton or a 'You're fired' president in Donald Trump?" —Tim Kaine

On Pence and Trump

"Six times tonight I have said to Governor Pence, 'I cannot imagine how you would defend your running mate's position.' And in all six cases, he has refused to defend. And yet, he is asking everybody to vote for somebody he cannot defend." —Tim Kaine

On the 'avalanche of insults'

"At a time of great challenge in the life of this nation, where we have weakened America's place in the world, the campaign of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine has been an avalanche of insults. To get to your question about trustworthiness, Donald Trump has built a business through hard times and good times. He has brought an extraordinary business acumen, employed tens of thousands of people in this country. There is a reason why people question the trustworthiness of Hillary Clinton, and that is because they are paying attention." —Mike Pence

On law and order

"Donald Trump and I want to make sure law enforcement has the resources and tools to be able to really restore law and order, and for the cities and communities in this nation. It is probably why the 330,000 members of the police endorse Donald Trump as the next president of the United States of America because they see his commitment … to them, to law and order. They hear the bad-mouthing that comes from people that seize upon tragedy as a reason to use a broad brush to accuse law enforcement of implicit bias or institutional racism. That really has got to stop. When an African-American police officer in Charlotte, an All-Star football player who went to Liberty University, followed his dad into law enforcement, joined the force in Charlotte in 2014, was involved in a police-action shooting that claimed the life of Keith Lamont Scott, it was a tragedy. We mourn with those who mourn, we grieve with those who grieve, and we are saddened at the loss of life. Hillary Clinton actually referred to that moment as an example of implicit bias in the police force." —Mike Pence

On bias in law enforcement

"People should not be afraid to bring up issues of bias in law enforcement… If you are afraid to have the discussion, you will never solve it. This is a heartbreaking example. Philando Castile, who was killed in St. Paul, who was a worker, a valued worker in a local school, he was killed for no other reason, in an incident that will be discussed and investigated. When folks went and explored this situation, what they found was that Philando Castile, they called him 'Mr. Rogers with Dreadlocks.' Kids love him. He had been stopped by police 40 or 50 times before that fatal incident. If you look at… sentencing in this country, African-Americans get sentenced for crimes at very different rates [than whites]. I just want to say, those who say we should not be able to bring up and talk about bias in the system will never solve the problem." —Tim Kaine

On relationships with Russia

"I understand why you want to change the subject, and let me be clear on this Russia thing. What we are dealing with is — there is an old proverb that says the Russian bear never dies; it just hibernates. This foreign policy from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened a Russian aggression that first appeared a few years ago with their move into Georgia and Crimea and into the wider Middle East. All we do now is fold our arms and say, 'We are not having talks anymore. We need to marshal the resources of our allies in the region and end the immediate — we need to act and act now to get people out of harm's way… I served on the Foreign Affairs committee for a decade. To see the weak and feckless leadership that Hillary Clinton was the architect of." —Mike Pence

On abortion

"For me, I would tell you for the sanctity of life proceeds out of that ancient principle of god. I tried to stand for the ancient principle of the sanctity of life. I am also very pleased that Indiana became the most-adoption state. But what I can understand is Hillary Clinton, how she can support a process like partial-birth abortion. I know you hold pro-life views personal. At the very idea that a child almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them, I cannot conscience a party that supports that. I know you have historically opposed taxpayer funding for abortion, but Hillary Clinton wants to repeal the long-standing provision when we said we would not use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. For me, my faith informs my life. For me, it all begins with cherishing the dignity, the worth, the value of all human life." —Mike Pence

On Roe v. Wade

"Hillary and I are both from religious backgrounds. Her Methodist Church experience was very informative for her as a public servant. But we both feel you should live fully and with enthusiasm your faith. But, let's talk about abortion and choice. We support Roe v. Wade. We support the constitutional right of American women to consult their own conscience and make their own decision about pregnancy. That is something we trust American women to do. And we don't think that women should be punished, as Donald Trump showed, for making the decision to have an abortion. Governor Pence wants to repeal Roe v. Wade. He says he wants to put it on the ash heap of history. Before Roe v. Wade, states could punish women if they made the choice to abort a pregnancy. I think you should live your moral values, but the last thing governments should do is have laws that would punish women who make reproductive choices. That is the fundamental difference between the Clinton-Kaine ticket and the Trump-Pence ticket." —Tim Kaine