On Tuesday, in the only vice-presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, Republican Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio.) and Governor Tim Walz (D-Minn) engaged in a heated discussion over the 2020 election results.
What Happened: The debate, which was held in New York City, followed last month’s presidential debate where Democratic nominee Kamala Harris triumphed over Donald Trump.
During the debate, Walz urged Vance to recognize Trump’s 2020 election loss and connected the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack to the former President’s refusal to accept defeat.
However, Vance sidestepped the question, shifting the focus to the future and questioning if Harris had “censored” Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walz rebutted Vance’s defense of Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss, asserting, “A president's words matter.”
Vance fired back, criticizing Democratic leaders for portraying Trump as a unique threat to democracy. He brought up Democratic concerns about Russian social media interference in the 2016 election.
Walz retorted, “Jan. 6 was not Facebook ads,” and once again asked Vance if Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance evaded a direct answer, maintaining his focus on the future. Walz labeled this as a “damning non answer.”
Why It Matters: The vice-presidential debate highlighted the stark contrast between the current election cycle and the previous one that led to President Joe Biden's exit from the race.
The vice presidential debate began with both candidates discussing Israel’s potential preemptive strike on Iran, with Walz affirming strong support for Israel's self-defense and criticizing Trump's foreign policy.
On the other hand, Vance praised Trump for maintaining global stability and supporting Israel. The Senator also defended Trump's immigration policies, advocating for mass deportations and rebuilding the border wall.
Walz criticized Trump's failure to secure Mexico's funding for the wall and Harris’ strong record on prosecuting transnational criminals.
On the economy, Walz praised Democratic efforts in lowering costs, such as capping insulin prices, but misstated insulin’s pre-legislation cost.
Vance countered by blaming Harris for rising costs in essentials like food and housing. “She’s been the Vice President for three and a half years, she had the opportunity to enact all of these great policies.”
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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