Tim Walz vs. J.D. Vance: Who won the U.S. vice presidential debate?

Tim Walz vs. J.D. Vance: In front of millions of viewers, the first and probably only vice presidential debate before the nation votes on November 5 took place on Wednesday between Democratic nominee Tim Walz and Republican opponent JD Vance.

The vice presidential debate, which included mostly policy-related arguments between Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz, was composed, well-organized, and remarkably polite in contrast to the presidential debate, which featured personal assaults by the candidates.

Both contenders stayed to their critique of the other presidential candidate rather than engaging in slander. Most people were surprised by the discussion, particularly after a nasty and polarizing months-long presidential campaign marked by personal attacks, disparaging remarks, racial insults, provocative speech, and even assassination attempts.

Although Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz have also engaged in heated exchanges with one another during election campaigns, they behaved respectfully during the vice presidential debate.

THE DEBATE’S MOST HEATED CHANGE

The Republican candidate was questioned whether he agreed that Donald Trump lost the 2020 US election, which caused some uncomfortable moments near the close of the friendly and primarily policy-focused discussion.

When asked whether he would contest this year’s vote if Donald Trump loses, Mr. Vance, who has said that he would not have voted to certify the outcome of the past presidential election, sidestepped the topic during the discussion.

In response, Mr. Walz blamed Donald Trump’s fabrications about voting fraud for sparking a mob assault on the US Capitol in January 2021 in an effort to thwart the official certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Mr. Walz added, “He is still saying he (Tump) didn’t lose the election,” blaming Mr. Vance. Then he asked his opponent directly, “Did he (Trump) lose the 2020 election?” The discussion reached its peak when the Republican candidate sidestepped the subject once again and accused Kamala Harris of trying to ban competing viewpoints on the internet.

“That’s an incredibly damning non-answer,” Mr. Walz cried.

The two candidates engaged in a series of debates covering a wide range of topics, including gender problems, immigration, taxation, inflation, climate change, and even abortion. Their opinions on every topic were radically different from one another.

COUNTER-PUNCHES AND PUNCHES

Mr. Walz and Mr. Vance each parried rhetorical blows and answered with equal vigor, teasing one another’s presidential candidate and what they saw as their weaknesses.

Mr. Walz criticized Donald Trump for his immigration policies, calling him an “unstable” leader who prioritizes the interests of billionaires above those of regular people. The previous president was criticized by him for “pressuring the Republicans in Congress” to drop the compromise border security package.

Trump had four years to do this task. He assured you, Americans, that it would be simple.”

Mr. Vance poked fun at the Democrats on the inflation and economic woes, asking Kamala Harris again and again why, in her four years as vice president in the Biden administration, she had not done more to address these pressing concerns.

“If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle-class problems, then she ought to do them now—not when asking for promotion, but in the job the American people gave her 3-1/2 years ago,” said Vance.

Additionally, the two disagreed on important world problems, particularly the crises in Europe and West Asia. Mr. Walz added that Trump cannot be trusted to manage the area prone to war, calling him “too fickle” and “sympathetic” to strongmen like Putin and Netanyahu. Mr. Vance refuted these allegations, stating that Mr. Trump had, throughout his presidency, made the globe “a more secure place”.

As he watched the debate in real time, Donald Trump sent statements in his signature manner on his website “Truth Social,” most of which were personal insults. He criticized the debate moderators on the US television network CBS. Additionally, he referred to Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, as having a “low IQ” and even labeled him “pathetic”.

Former Trump demon JD Vance, a Republican contender, attempted to correct the record by claiming that “I was wrong about Donald Trump” and blaming the media for covering him during the debate.

He continued, saying, “I was mistaken because, to start with, I thought that some of the media reports about his past were false and deceptive. Above all, however, Donald Trump fulfilled his promise to the American people.

THE ‘MINNESOTA NICE’ ARGUMENT

The vice presidential debate featured Republican opponent JD Vance, 40, a former venture capitalist, best-selling author, and conservative firebrand US senator from Ohio with some very conservative views on issues like abortion, and Democratic candidate Tim Walz, 60, a former high school teacher and current governor of Minnesota with liberal views.

Despite portraying themselves as products of America’s Midwestern heartland, both candidates had sharply divergent opinions on almost all of the main issues that are dividing the country.

Despite the fact that both candidates attempted to outshine one another and sometimes hurt their opponent, both men generally came off as composed and polite, adopting a “Minnesota Nice” demeanor throughout the discussion and even exchanging thank yous.

Reports and surveys after the debate indicated that neither contender was able to deliver a “knockout punch” to the other or outperform the other, making it a fair discussion without a clear winner.

Vice presidential debates, according to political commentators, usually have little effect on the result of a presidential election. That However, with the race hanging so close five weeks before election day, even a little change in public sentiment might prove to be pivotal.