After Chris Christie remarked on President Joe Biden's marriage, former Vice President Mike Pence awkwardly joked about "sleeping with a teacher for 38 years."

"Chris, you mentioned the president - my wife isn't a member of the teachers' union, but I gotta admit I have been sleeping with a teacher for 38 years ... full disclosure," Pence said.

Mike Pence's Awkward Joke

Per The Independent, Christie said that "this public school system is no longer run by the public." Teachers' unions in this nation govern it.

Candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy said "transgenderism, especially in kids, is a mental health disorder" during the education discussion. The joke was met with scattered laughter, but the majority of the audience remained silent.

The Pod Save America podcast, which is anchored by former members of President Barack Obama's administration, uploaded a 21-second recording of Pence's remark to X, formerly Twitter, where it garnered over 77,000 views.

Prior to Pence's remark, Christie had been lamenting the influence of teaching unions, alleging they control public schools across the United States, according to Newsweek via MSN.

Seven candidates for the Republican presidential nomination participated in Wednesday's debate, but Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner, addressed autoworkers in Michigan.

During his speech, Trump implied none of the debate participants would be his running companion in 2024, remarking, "I don't know, does anyone see a vice presidential candidate in this group? I do not believe so."

Christie, a prominent Trump critic, assailed the former president for not taking part in the debate commenting: "You're not here tonight because you're afraid of being on this stage and defending your record."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who, according to polling, is Trump's closest Republican rival, also criticized the front-runner for his absence.

He stated, "The former president is not present tonight. He has said a great deal about that. He should be here to defend his attempt to portray pro-life protections as a horrible evil.

Fox News' Stuart Varney and Dana Perino and Univision's Ilia Calderón moderated the debate. They struggled at times to prevent the Republican candidates from speaking over one another.

When they asked the candidates who should be "voted off the island," they received a negative response, with DeSantis calling the query "disrespectful." Only Christie responded to the question, stating he would vote for Trump.

Read Also: Gubernatorial Debate: Gavin Newsom, Ron DeSantis To Discuss Visions of the Future 

Republican Debate 2023

Pence, who has a meager 4.6 percent of support according to the average of FiveThirtyEight polls, has frequently used his years of experience as a talk radio host.

Despite an arched eyebrow, his delivery was disappointing, and his attempt at humor fell short. During Wednesday's debate, Pence, like most of the other six candidates, struggled to rise above the chaos.

The Fox Business moderators labored to reign in the seven candidates, and the debate frequently degenerated into a shouting match, rendering it difficult for viewers at home to understand what was being said.

Per Daily Mail, candidates failed to address questions and promptly pivoted to their own pre-prepared answers, sounding robotic and repeating slogans. Trump, who appears to have an unassailable lead over his Republican rivals, missed the Wednesday debate for the second time in a succession.

Chris Christie took particular aim at Trump for avoiding the debate, claiming that he was "afraid of being on this stage and defending your record" and dubbing him 'Donald Duck.'

Even the more conciliatory DeSantis took aim at Trump, proclaiming that the 77-year-old was "missing in action." Trump was in Detroit on Wednesday, delivering his own speech to union workers.

Related Article: Second Republican Presidential Debate: Which Candidates Will go on Stage?