The big battle between the vice-presidential candidates in New York is over – five weeks before election day.
In the only TV duel between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, the candidates attempted to make a preliminary decision.
Millions watched what was probably the final climax of the election campaign. The most important viewers, however: their bosses, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Both candidates therefore wanted to avoid making gross mistakes or creating negative viral moments.
Walz: “Donald Trump will follow those who flatter him the most”
The first topical issue: the Middle East conflict. In an explosive world like today, a stable leader is needed, not an almost 80-year-old fickle man who even his former advisors warn against, said Walz. “Donald Trump will follow those who flatter him the most,” he said.
Vance countered that there was peace “through strength” under Trump in the White House. However, neither would answer whether they would support a military strike by Israel against Iran.
On the subject of climate catastrophe, especially after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Vance said that the USA was already a role model for “clean air” and that other countries should first catch up. The hurricane victims must be taken care of. Walz recalled that Trump had described climate change as a “hoax”.
Walz sought to emphasize his role as a grassroots former school coach, National Guardsman and avid hunter to reach voters in the U.S. heartland who are skeptical of Harris. Vance had a similar task, with the author of the bestselling biography “Hillbilly Elegy” acting as a sharp attacker for Trump. In doing so, he sometimes overstepped the mark, for example when he spread rumors about cat-eating Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.
Vance: “We have to stop the bleeding first”
On the No. 1 crisis issue, the unsecured border and record migration, Vance argued strongly: “We have to stop the bleeding first, secure the border!” He blamed Harris for the chaos.
Walz countered that Trump himself had torpedoed a congressional compromise for a secure border in order to be able to use the issue in his election campaign.
Vance hit back: Harris had boasted for three years that she had repealed Trump’s strict laws. She was to blame for the crisis because she had failed as “border commissioner”. He cleverly linked the issue of drug smuggling to his own youth: “My mother struggled with opioid addiction and got clean – I don’t want addicts to be robbed of their second chance because Kamala Harris is smuggling fentanyl into our communities in record amounts.”
Walz accused Vance of “demonizing” immigrants, such as with the atrocity stories about pets in Springfield. You can’t blame immigrants for “everything,” the Minnesota governor said.
But Walz’s body language was particularly striking: He appeared “uncomfortable,” rattling off arguments, with a stern look and tense expression on his face, and frantically taking notes. At one point, he even admitted: “I’m a moron…” A viral moment.
Vance, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed and confident.
When Vance stated that the large number of migrants was overwhelming cities, he was interrupted by the two female CBS presenters with a “fact check”, whereupon the microphone was turned off. Vance was also confronted with the fact that he had previously compared Trump to “Hitler”. He explained that Trump’s performance in the Oval Office had “changed his mind” and that he had been “mistaken” because he had initially believed the “dishonest media reports”. He admitted that many things “could be better”, but blamed Congress.
Walz got caught with a new lie
Vance tried to expose Walz an ultra-liberal behind the facade of the tribune of the people. Walz’s outright lies, such as when he claimed to have carried weapons to war when he had never been to war, or when he falsely claimed to have been in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, provided a target. Walz claimed that he had “misspoken” and had been in China in “the same year”, but did not come across as very convincing.
The exchange on the controversial topic of abortion was tough: Walz accused Trump of being responsible for the recent abortion bans, which endangered the lives of pregnant women. Walz did not want to answer the question of why abortions are permitted in his state up to the time of birth. Vance described this practice as “barbaric”.
According to polls, Vance entered the duel as a “minus man” with a popularity rating of 32 percent – the worst figure for a runner-up candidate in 30 years. Walz was at 44 percent.
When it came to gun violence, the discussion ran along political lines: Vance called for increased protection of schools, while Walz called for stricter gun laws. “We owe it to our children to do something,” he argued. The former teacher recounted how his 17-year-old son had witnessed a shooting. Vance looked surprised, but said, “I’m sorry for him.” Walz, however, made another gross slip-up: “I’m friends with school shooters,” he said, but meant the bereaved families of victims.
Walz was able to score points, however, when the topic of the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters came up. He emphasized the need to get back to the tradition of “just shaking hands” as losers and handing over power. Vance played down the violence that day and, despite repeated follow-up questions, refused to say whether Trump had lost the 2020 election.
What was true for both of them overall: the debate was more constructive than that of their bosses.
