Last week’s debate between Republican vice-presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance and Democratic candidate Gov. Tim Walz was more cordial than pundits predicted. The two candidates traded respectful exchanges, cordial and deferential to each other.
The debate started with a question on Israel and whether either candidate supports the notion of Israel conducting a preemptive strike on Iran to stop the Islamic theocracy’s nuclear weapons development. While Vance started his answer with a short autobiography ultimately, he pivoted towards Trump’s foreign policy record, arguing the world was more peaceful while stating the United States would stand behind whatever Israel decides to do in a second Trump administration.
Walz argued that former President Donald Trump was not up to the task and that the current international situation requires “steady leadership”, not someone “talking about crowd sizes.”
Immigration became a hot discussion point during the debate, with Vance attacking the Biden-Harris administration for a “historic immigration crisis.” Vance tied the issue to Springfield, Ohio where thousands of Haitian migrants have been relocated, saying the situation is overwhelming the community and making housing unaffordable, and overwhelming schools and healthcare, as a result. Vance also had his microphone cut off when attempting to explain the immigration process and how easy it is for illegal immigrants to enter the United States.
Walz criticized Trump and Vance for their attempt to “demonize” immigrants, and said Trump killed a bipartisan bill on immigration reform and border security earlier this year to increase his chances of getting elected.
There were several moments when the candidates appeared to agree with each other or offer a sympathetic hand. When discussing childcare and federal programs to assist families, Walz said “I don’t think that Sen. Vance and I are that far apart. I’m not opposed to what he’s talking about on options.” While answering a question on firearms and the Second Amendment, Walz revealed his son witnessed a shooting, to which Vance offered his sympathy, responding to Walz’s answer by saying “Tim, first of all, I didn’t know that your 17-year-old son witnessed a shooting, and I’m sorry about that. Christ, have mercy.”
Both candidates also had significant stumbles. Vance was criticized for a “damning non-answer” on questions about the violence on January 6, 2021, and whether it was a “threat to democracy.” Vance refused to answer a direct question from Walz on whether Trump won the 2020 election and pivoted to argue that the suppression of free speech and the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to force big tech to censor conservatives was a “much bigger threat to democracy.”
For his part, Walz flailed in answering a question about his previous assertions of being in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, calling himself a knucklehead and eventually admitting he “misspoke.”
A group of Michigan voters spoke with CBS News after the debate, with 4 of 6 saying they’d vote for Trump and Vance after watching.
