Tuesday's vice presidential debate, billed as an understated affair between two boring candidates, has had fireworks from the start, with Democrat Tim Kaine Timothy (Tim) Michael KaineTrump meets with potential Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett at White House Names to watch as Trump picks Ginsburg replacement on Supreme Court Barrett seen as a front-runner for Trump Supreme Court pick MORE and Republican Mike Pence Michael (Mike) Richard PenceGardner signals support for taking up Supreme Court nominee this year Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll GOP brushes back charges of hypocrisy in Supreme Court fight MORE interrupting each other and trading insults.

Kaine and Pence came out aggressively attacking Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE and Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJoe Biden looks to expand election battleground into Trump country Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden goes on offense MORE, respectively, and of running "insult-driven" campaigns.

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Seated across from each other with Elaine Quijano of CBS News moderating, Kaine, Clinton’s running mate, was asked why Americans should trust the Democratic presidential nominee, who has been dogged by scandal over her charitable foundation and use of a private email server for government business.

Kaine, who in his opening statement said the thought of Trump as president “scares” him and his wife “to death,” launched into an extended attack that labeled the GOP presidential nominee a racist and a bully who has profited from taking advantage of ordinary Americans.

“Donald Trump always puts himself first,” said Kaine, a Virginia senator. “He built a business career ... on the backs of the little guy, and as candidate, he started his campaign with a speech where he called Mexicans rapists and criminals and pursued the discredited and outrageous lie that the president of the United States wasn’t born in the U.S."

“It is so painful that we suggest we go back to these days where an African-American could not be a citizen of this country and I can’t imagine how Gov. Pence can defend the insult-driven, selfish, me-first style of Donald Trump,” Kaine said, criticizing Trump for his suggestions that Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaTwitter investigating automated image previews over apparent algorithmic bias Donald Trump delivers promise for less interventions in foreign policy Rush Limbaugh encourages Senate to skip hearings for Trump's SCOTUS nominee MORE was not born in the United States.

Pence, Indiana's governor, responded by accusing Clinton and Kaine of running their own “insult-driven” campaign, and he blamed the former secretary of State for chaos in the Middle East.

“We’re watching hour by hour in Syria as the result of the weak and failed foreign policy that Hillary Clinton helped lead and create,” Pence said. “The newly emboldened aggression in Russia—"

Kaine interjected to say Trump and Pence have praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a great leader.

Quijano told Kaine to allow Pence to finish.

“I must have hit a nerve here,” Pence said. “The campaign of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine has been an avalanche of insults.”