Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance clashed on topics such as the Middle East conflict, immigration, taxes, abortion, climate change, and the economy at Tuesday night's (Wednesday AEST) vice presidential debate.
The vice presidential candidates maintained a respectful tone, in contrast to their aggressive exchanges on the campaign trail, focusing their critiques on their respective running mates: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Vance consistently criticised Harris’s performance in President Joe Biden's administration, particularly on issues like inflation and immigration. "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," Vance argued.
Walz, meanwhile, turned the spotlight on Trump, describing him as an unstable leader who prioritised the interests of the wealthy. He rebutted Vance’s immigration criticisms by pointing out that Trump failed to secure a bipartisan border security deal during his presidency.
"Most of us want to solve this," Walz said. "Donald Trump had four years to do this, and he promised Americans how easy it would be."
The debate, held at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, opened with a discussion on the escalating Middle East crisis, following Israel’s military actions in Lebanon and Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes.
Walz expressed concerns about Trump’s temperament in handling such crises, while Vance defended Trump’s record, claiming he had made the world more secure during his tenure.
When asked about supporting a preemptive strike by Israel against Iran, Vance suggested he would defer to Israel’s judgment. Walz did not directly answer the question.
The candidates, both from the Midwest, sought to present themselves as champions of opposing visions for the country. Walz, the liberal governor of Minnesota, and Vance, a conservative U.S. senator from Ohio, emphasised their Midwestern roots, but their views on key issues, including climate change and the economy, remained starkly different.
Trump, watching the debate, was highly active on his Truth Social platform, frequently posting during the exchange.
Key Moments in the Debate
Both Walz and Vance sought to deliver memorable lines in the final vice presidential debate before the November election. Although vice presidential debates rarely shift election outcomes, political analysts note that even a minor shift in public opinion could be significant, with the race balanced on a knife-edge.
Walz faced questions about a recent report challenging his previous claim that he was present during the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. "I'm a knucklehead at times," Walz admitted. "I got there that summer and misspoke on this. So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, and from that, I learned a lot about governance."
Vance, who had once criticised Trump, defended his running mate, acknowledging that he was wrong about Trump’s abilities. "I was wrong about Donald Trump," Vance said. "I believed some of the media stories that turned out to be dishonest fabrications of his record. But most importantly, Donald Trump delivered for the American people."
Walz criticised Trump’s appointment of three U.S. Supreme Court justices who played key roles in overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that guaranteed nationwide abortion rights. "Donald Trump put this all into motion," Walz noted, adding that Trump has openly celebrated the court’s decision.
Although Vance is known for his strong anti-abortion stance, he struck a more moderate tone during the debate, stating that he does not support a national abortion ban, despite previous indications to the contrary. He argued that Trump’s position is that individual states should decide the issue. Trump later posted that he would veto a national abortion ban, after weeks of avoiding the topic during the presidential debate.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris was widely considered the victor in her recent debate with Trump, though the event had little impact on the close election race, which remains fiercely contested in the key battleground states.