Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz embraced their dad personas ahead of their vice-presidential debate. Vance successfully avoided the verbal missteps and outbursts that characterized Trump’s debate performance against Harris. He introduced himself to voters by highlighting his middle-class background and military service, while Walz appeared nervous and stumbled over his words. The debate marked the only scheduled debate between the vice-presidential nominees, with the race remaining close with just 35 days to go.
Vance had an edge over Walz in terms of poise and policy command during the debate. Walz mixed up Iran and Israel when discussing a preemptive strike by Israel against Iran, and he seemed unsure of himself and spoke rapidly. Both candidates found themselves on the defensive during the debate, with Walz having to explain discrepancies in his past statements and Vance defending his previous criticism of Trump. Vance also questioned why Harris hadn’t implemented her policies as vice president and suggested she couldn’t be trusted with her plans.
The Harris campaign had tried to lower expectations for Walz ahead of the debate, while Trump raised expectations for Vance by calling his opponent a “total moron.” Vance dodged questions about Trump’s false election claims and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, instead focusing on a message of looking towards the future. Walz warned of the ongoing threat to democracy posed by Trump and his allies, who he believes are laying the groundwork for more protests and attempts to overthrow the election if they lose in November.
The debate between Vance and Walz was the only scheduled faceoff between the vice-presidential nominees, with polls showing a close election and Harris and Walz holding a slight lead nationally. Walz appeared to struggle with nerves and stumbled over his words during the debate, while Vance successfully avoided missteps and presented himself as a poised and policy-savvy candidate. Both candidates found themselves on the defensive at times, with Vance defending his past criticisms of Trump and Walz explaining discrepancies in his statements.
The debate between Walz and Vance was widely anticipated as the only scheduled faceoff between the vice-presidential nominees, with the race remaining close in the final weeks before the election. Vance emerged as a poised and policy-savvy candidate, while Walz appeared nervous and stumbled over his words. Both candidates found themselves on the defensive during the debate, with Vance defending his past criticisms of Trump and Walz explaining discrepancies in his statements. The debate highlighted the stark differences between the two candidates and their approaches to leadership and policy.
