Vice-presidential candidates Sen. JD Vance, Republican, and Gov. Tim Walz, Democrat, met in New York City to debate for the first and only time this election season on Tuesday night. The debate was broadcast on CBS and these were the topics discussed:
America’s Involvement with Conflict in the Middle East
Walz was questioned first on whether he would support or oppose making a preemptive strike on Iran. He said this country needs steady leadership and commented on how many people in Presidential nominee Donald Trump’s inner circle said Trump is ‘unfit for office.’
Vance said Iran is closer to having nuclear weaponry than ever, and the U.S. should let Israel decide what they would do in the situation. He blamed the weaponry crisis on the Biden Administration.
“Who has been Vice President for the last three years? Your running mate, not mine,” Vance said.
Climate Change
Vance said that although he doesn’t necessarily believe carbon emissions cause climate change, one objective the Trump campaign is working towards is trying to produce energy in the U.S. Vance said Harris should agree with Trump’s energy policies.
“Trump and I want the air to be cleaner and safer,” Vance said.
Walz said in his rebuttal that Trump called climate change a hoax, and Harris has created 200,000 jobs in solar energy during her time as vice president.
Immigration
“[Harris is] attempting to undo what Trump did,” Vance said as his reasoning for issues at the border.
Vance said deporting parents back to their home country if they are not of legal status while their U.S. citizen children stay is not an issue of separating families because children are often used as drug mules.
Walz said Congress worked together to compose a bipartisan bill that would solve many of the issues at the border, but it failed. He said if the bill passed, Trump would have nothing to campaign about because these problems could be solved.
“What would Donald Trump talk about if we actually did these things?” Walz said.
Walz said he doesn’t talk about his faith very much, but felt the need to quote a verse from the Bible.
“Matthew 25:40 talks about, ‘To the least amongst us, you do unto me,'” Walz said.
Vance then interrupted the moderators who proceeded to cut both of the candidates microphones to keep the debate moving forward.
The Economy
Walz said he and Harris support the middle class. He believes housing should be more available and that houses should be permanent homes. In Minnesota, he said he has increased the number of houses in certain areas which has lowered the rent
“People with stable housing get stable jobs,” Walz said.
Vance said he agrees with Walz in the sense that housing should be a commodity. He believes that unused federal land should be converted into housing, and that housing should be reserved for people who are legal U.S. citizens.
Vance said that, contrary to what economists believe, Trump will bring back common sense into the economy.
“They have PhDs, but they don’t have common sense or wisdom,” Vance said.
Walz said Trump has repeatedly bragged about beating the system when it comes to paying taxes.
“How is it fair that you pay federal taxes and Trump doesn’t?” Walz said.
Personal Qualifications
Walz was questioned on how he claimed to be in China for the Tiananmen Square protests that happened between April and June 1989, but sources claimed he did not actually travel to China until fall of that year.
Walz said in his response that he grew up in a small town in Nebraska, and thanks to the GI Bill, he became a teacher and was able to travel to China, taking young people there to learn.
Walz was then explicitly asked if he arrived during the protests. Walz said he misspoke and meant to say he got there in summer. This information was later proven false.
Vance was then questioned about how he referred to Trump as ‘America’s Hitler’ and how he switched his views to now support him when he previously did not.
Vance said he was just open about how he has changed his mind and wants to be honest with America, and this is why he has done so many interviews.
Reproductive Rights
Walz said banning abortion doesn’t allow for medical help when necessary and listed three examples of women who have been harmed by abortion bans. He said he believes all American women should have the same reproductive healthcare available no matter their geographical location.
Vance said if elected Trump will not federally track pregnancies. Someone personal, whom he loves, has had an abortion and he wishes the Republican Party would do better to gain women’s trust, but states should continue to make abortion policies.
Gun Violence
Vance said 90% of gun violence is caused by illegal guns. He said in response to school shootings that schools should be safer because it’s hard to take guns from the ‘bad guys.’
Walz said he has a 17-year-old who witnessed a shooting. He has also met parents whose children were victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. He said he advocates for more research and background checks for gun owners and takes inspiration from Finland, a country with lots of gun owners and few school shootings.
Vance said in response America is dealing with a greater mental health crisis than Finland.
Healthcare
Vance said under Trump’s administration, prescription drug prices dropped. He said the reason Trump said ‘I have concepts of a plan’ during the presidential debate instead of listing the plan was because he would not have time to respond in detail on the debate stage.
Walz said he was around for the creation of the Affordable Care Act and that Harris would protect and enhance it. He said that during Harris’ time as vice president she has added 10 drugs to Medicare.
Walz said he believes employers should decide how much employees should earn for paid paternity leave. He also thinks employers should determine how long workers should be absent from work for paternity leave. Walz emphasized that paternity leave should be an option for everyone.
Vance said he believes there can be a bipartisan solution to paid paternity leave and mentioned how his wife is a working mother.
Democracy
Vance said censorship is the biggest threat to democracy in America and that opposing parties need to talk out their differences. He believes Jan. 6, 2020, was an incident that should be left in the past.
When Vance was asked whether or not Trump lost the 2020 election, he did not give a direct response.
Walz said he enjoys the debate of commonalities, but people need to accept defeat and shake the hand of the winner. He believes Trump is responsible for the incidents on Jan. 6, 2020.
“A president’s words matter,” Walz said.
Closing Statements
In his closing statement, Walz thanked Americans for watching the debate and mentioned how he and several others who endorse Harris, such as Bernie Sanders and Taylor Swift, are optimistic about the future.
Vance said in his closing statement that they should have discussed the matter of energy. He then said that we have the greatest country in the world and that its people need change.
