Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz said he believes his vice presidential rival, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, wants to solve the country’s immigration crisis, but he questioned whether former President Donald Trump actually does.
Vance acknowledged that Walz also wants to address the issue, but he questioned whether Vice President Kamala Harris really did.
Walz agreed with “much of what Sen. Vance said” about Americans not trusting Republicans on abortion. Vance said he and Walz “agree that we probably need to do better” on gun violence. And Walz admitted that he “agrees” with much of what Vance said about decades of trade policy that allowed manufacturing jobs to move overseas.
Tuesday night’s debate continued between Walz and Vance, who met in person for the first time and delivered a textbook performance of Midwest nice: tricks at consensus, albeit politely, often serve as rhetorical fig leaves that give way to more cutting. delivered, attacks.
The running mates — Vance, a right-wing Republican, and Waltz, a progressive Democrat who aims to appeal to moderates — used the words “agree” or “disagree” more than a dozen times to describe common ground. share it.
“I believe Senator Vance wants to address this, but by not standing with Donald Trump and working together to find a solution, it becomes a conversation, and when it becomes a conversation, we dehumanize and dehumanize other people. ” Walz said as he blasted both Republicans for airing debunked claims of Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
With early voting underway in several states and exactly five weeks before Election Day, Tuesday’s showdown, hosted by CBS News, was an opportunity for Vance and Walz to make their campaign closing arguments. Barring a swing by Trump, who balks at the idea of a second run-in with Harris, this could be the last widely publicized prime-time moment of the race.
But television viewers expecting to see the vice president’s vicious attack dogs instead saw a couple of hounds looking for love. The discussion reminded him in some ways A friendly clash 24 years ago between vice presidential candidates Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman. Cheney, who hated the left then as much as Vance does now, was able to escape harsh scrutiny. He and Republican George W. Bush won the first of two terms in the fall.
Perhaps the deepest divisiveness of the night came from within the Democratic Party, where some thought Waltz was too nice.
“They told him to be nice to Vance, one of the most unpopular VP candidates in history,” said Vacahat Ali, a progressive podcaster and pundit. Posted in XHe blamed the team that prepared Walsh for the debate. “It only normalizes his extremism and misogyny. fool “Dems are scared for no reason.”
MSNBC anchor and former Harris aide Symone Sanders criticized Walz for “not prosecuting the case” but instead throwing “a beautiful festival.”
“If you agree with Vance so much, why should we vote for you?” Sanders wrote in X.
Others gave Waltz a pass.
“Look, I’ve known Tim Waltz for 16 years and that’s who he is,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat who worked in the post-debate spin room, told NBC News. “It’s very important to be authentic in this kind of setting and in all settings. Tim Walz is a nice guy, a nice guy, and a respectful guy, and I think what he’s shown tonight is that he’s willing to serve as Kamala Harris’s partner in moving our country forward. It has been with Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Vance turned to his good moments. After Waltz recalled the time his teenage son witnessed a shooting, Vance responded with compassion.
“Tim, first of all, I didn’t know your 17-year-old boy witnessed the shooting. I apologize for that,” he said, promoting a thank-you note from Walz.
“Christ have mercy,” added Vance. “It’s terrible.”
Underneath the great subtleties, fundamental differences of opinion were on display.
Vance repeatedly attacked the “Harris administration” — essentially writing off President Joe Biden, who made the decision this summer. opposes running for a second term and promoting Harris as the chief person responsible for the country’s problems. For example, Vance blamed Harris for the situation in Springfield, where an influx of Haitian immigrants who are in the country legally under the Temporary Protected Status program has caused socioeconomic concerns.
“The people I’m most concerned about in Springfield, Ohio are the American citizens whose lives have been destroyed by Kamala Harris’ open border,” Vance said. “That’s a shame, Tim, and I actually think I agree with you. I think you want to solve this problem, but I don’t think Kamala Harris will.”
Walz has repeatedly blamed today’s problems on Trump’s previous four years in the White House.
“Donald Trump had four years,” Walz said, recalling Trump’s promise to pay for the Mexican border wall during the immigration tradeoff. “He had four years to do it, and he promised America how easy it would be.”
Co-moderator Margaret Brennan asked both candidates about their previous statements that might speak to their “personal qualities” and “leadership qualities.”
Walz was asked recently gives news By scrutinizing his claims that he was in Hong Kong in May and June 1989, preparing to teach in China during and around the deadly Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.
“I haven’t been perfect, and sometimes I’m a jerk,” Walz said, initially dodging a direct question about the inconsistencies.
Pressed further by Brennan, Walz admitted he had “misspoke”.
The once famous Vance part of him criticizing Trump before he matched Trump as a candidate, he was asked about private messages, This was reported by The Washington Post last weekin which he expressed doubts about Trump leading up to 2020. In the messages, Vance criticized Trump, wrote that they “failed to fully convey their economic populism” and predicted that he would lose to Biden.
“When it happens, when you say the wrong thing, when you misunderstand something and change your mind, you have to be honest with the American people about it,” Vance responded Tuesday night.
“I’ve been extremely consistent that I think there were a lot of things we could have done better in the Trump administration in the first round if Congress had done its job. I firmly believe … Congress is not just a high-level debating society. This is not just a forum for senators and congressmen to whine about problems. This is a forum to manage.”
Towards the end of the debate, Vance demonstrated his loyalty to Trump by downplaying the violence that sparked riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, when Trump’s refusal to accept his election loss to Biden.
“Remember, [Trump] On January 6th, he said the protesters should protest peacefully,” Vance said. “Now, January 20, what happened? Joe Biden became president. “Donald Trump left the White House and now, of course, unfortunately we have all the negative policies coming from the Harris-Biden administration.”
The response drew a reprimand from Walz—polite, of course.
“I enjoyed the debate tonight and I think there was a lot of common ground,” Walz said, before calling Vance’s response “disturbing.”
“The fact is, I don’t think we can be the frog in the pot and let the boiling water rise. [Trump] it was very clear,” Walz said. “I mean, he lost this election and he said he didn’t.”