JD Vance and Tim Walz took aim at the opposing party’s policies in their TV debate – but remained surprisingly objective. The US press reviews at a glance.
The two US vice-presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance exchanged blows in their first and probably only TV duel. They accused the other party of political failure, but delved deeply into the issues during the debate. Republican Vance blamed Kamala Harris for the current crises, while Democrat Walz defended Harris and warned against Donald Trump returning to the White House.
Press reviews of the TV duel between JD Vance and Tim Walz
“Washington Post”: “Vance used the vice presidential debate against Tim Walz to try to present a gentler, more affable version of himself to the nation. And, perhaps more valuable to the Trump-Vance campaign, he also used prime time to ‘Make America Great.’ Again’ for the political center – offering a softer, more moderate and often misleading version of Trump’s polarizing vision and policy prescriptions.”
“New York Times”: “Mr. Walz often speaks with a ‘how-did-I-get-here’ feint toward political humility, as if he intends to decorate the Naval Observatory in Carhartt camouflage and hasn’t given much thought to other plans When he’s at his best, he’s something of a Labrador retriever of communicators: affable, playful, just happy to be there – but prone to bowing his head in performative confusion when something strikes him as strange.”
“New York Post”: “Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz stunned viewers of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate as he fidgeted nervously, frowned and even called himself a ‘dumbass’ — while his Republican counterpart, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, sported a calm and delivered an expert presentation and was widely regarded as the winner.”
“CNN”: “In an event that is unlikely to change the course of the presidential campaign, the two running mate’s were friendly with each other, instead directing their attacks at the frontrunners of opposing parties and focusing largely on policy differences. Vance repeatedly attacked Vice President Kamala Harris over border security while Walz sharply criticized former President Donald Trump over abortion rights.”
“The Atlantic”: “In the final question of the debate, the moderators asked the senator from Ohio about the threats to democracy and, in particular, his statement that as vice president he would not have certified the 2020 election. In his answer, Vance attempted to repeat the history of the January 6 insurrection. January 2021 and Donald Trump’s attempt to steal the election, and revealed why he would be a dangerous vice president. Vance claimed that Trump ‘peacefully relinquished power on January 20th.’
“The Wall Street Journal”: “JD Vance tried (…) to temper Donald Trump’s more controversial rhetoric on issues like abortion, immigration and guns, while an occasionally tense Tim Walz defended Kamala Harris’ record and argued that Trump posed a threat to democracy. During the election campaign, the Republican senator from Ohio earned a reputation as a partisan attack dog. But during the debate he put on a more sophisticated performance, downplaying Trump’s plans for mass deportations and saying that Republicans need to regain Americans’ trust on abortion issues (…). And he reminded viewers of his humble roots and that he was raised by ‘two lifelong blue-collar Democrats.’
Los Angeles Times: “It was hard to reconcile all the happy talk with the Trump-Harris debates or the nasty commercials. In reality, the two men disagree on climate change, abortion rights, gun control, immigration, the Taxes, housing and almost everything else they talked about Tuesday night. Part of the relative politeness can be explained by the strange dynamics of the vice presidential debates. Few voters make their decision based on the running mate not dictating policy . They are there to attack the other team and reassure voters that they can be trusted to run the country in an emergency.”
USA Today: “In fact, the biggest potential impact of Tuesday’s debate could be that Trump changes his mind and debates Harris again. He could decide that he doesn’t want his running mate to have the final say on the biggest stage available during a campaign “Harris has already accepted an invitation from CNN to a debate on October 23, while Trump has declined. Another debate between Trump and Harris before Election Day would be worth evaluating.”
“Fox News”: “The 2024 presidential race is now an effective statistical tie. This is especially true when you look at the seven key swing states in this election. After a heated presidential debate last month that resulted more in personal arguments than substantive information, there is one some uncertainty about where the candidates stand on the important issues facing our country.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
