VP candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz faced off yesterday evening in their first and only debate of the 2024 presidential campaign.
For the most part, it was a civil affair, not unlike the political debates Americans remember before Donald Trump rode down his golden escalator.
Most people who tuned in agree that Vance did a pretty good job at keeping the toxic male energy he displays on the campaign trail and in his far-right podcast appearances to a minimum…
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That is, minus the moment when he rudely talked over moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell after they fact-checked him on false claims he made about “illegal aliens” and then incorrectly mansplained a law to them after they told him to shut up, resulting in his mic being cut.
Most also agree that Vance came across as poised, professional, and, as Gov. JB Pritzker put it in the spin room afterwards, a “slick liar.”
The 40-year-old gay-hating VP wannabe managed to keep a straight face as he casually revised history about everything from his hard-line stance on abortion…
To his claims Donald Trump actually saved the Affordable Care Act and didn’t try to kill it, contrary to what everyone who’s old enough to remember thinks today…
To his own mother’s addiction to fentanyl…
Vance also had other very cringey, very creepy moments, like when he gave a nod to his “dear friend” who once had an abortion, saying, “You know who you are. Love ya!” (We’re sure, if this anonymous woman even exists, she appreciated the shout out.)
Or when he was asked by the moderators about the time he called Trump “America’s Hitler” and he gave the same long, rambling non-response he’s given a million times now that still doesn’t really answer as to how he went from thinking the guy was a genocidal maniac to the second coming of Christ.
But perhaps Vance’s worst moment of the evening came towards the end of the debate, when he flat-out refused to answer whether Trump lost the 2020 election then downplayed the events of January 6, when the armed MAGA militia stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacked police officers, trashed the building, and shit all over the floors.
When O’Donnell noted that there was zero evidence of widespread voter fraud in 2020, she asked Vance about the time he said he would have sided with the insurrectionists and refused to certify the election results if he had been vice president at the time.
“That has been called unconstitutional and illegal,” the veteran journalist said. “Would you, again, seek to challenge this year’s election results, even if every governor certifies the results?”
At first, Vance dodged the question by saying he was “focused on the future” and then criticized Kamala Harris, saying was the real “threat to democracy” by accusing her of “censorship” seemingly out of nowhere.
Eventually, he did say he believes “we should fight about those issues, debate those issues peacefully in the public square,” then tried to say there was, indeed, a peaceful transfer of power in 2021… even though there wasn’t.
“Remember, he said that on January 6, the protesters ought to protest peacefully, and on January 20 what happened? Joe Biden became the president.”
What Vance conveniently left out, of course, is that in between the morning of January 6 and the afternoon of January 20, Trump staged a deadly coup d’etat. Then, when it failed, he refused to attend Biden’s inauguration, sending Mike Pence, who he had tried to have hanged two weeks earlier, in his stead. And he hasn’t shut up about it since.
Walz reminded him, and the millions of people watching, of this a little while later, calling Vance’s interpretation of what happened “troubling” and saying people need to play by the rules.
“Here we are, four years later, in the same boat,” the former high school football coach said. “I will tell you, that when this is over, we need to shake hands, this election, and the winner needs to be the winner. This has got to stop. It’s tearing our country apart.”
Shortly after that, Walz turned to Vance and asked directly: “Did he lose the 2020 election?” To which Vance responded, “Tim, I’m focused on the future.”
“That is a damning non-answer,” Walz replied.
Prior to last night’s debate, Vance’s favorability ratings were the worst ever for a modern vice presidential candidate. Heading into the night, a CNN poll found he had a net favorability rating of -11%, eight points worse than Dan Quale, who had a -3% favorability rating heading into the 1988 vice presidential debate.
Whether or not Vance’s performance last night improves those numbers remains to be seen, but one thing is clear. Tim Walz said it best at the end of the debate: “America, I think you’ve got a really clear choice of who’s going to honor that democracy and who’s going to honor Donald Trump.”
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abfab
Jamelle Bouie
Times columnist
It’s a pretty straightforward verdict: Vance won this debate. It’s not hard to see why. He has spent most of his adult life selling himself to the wealthy, the powerful and the influential. He is as smooth and practiced as they come. He has no regard for the truth. He lies as easily as he breathes. We saw this throughout the debate. He told Americans that there are 20 million to 25 million “illegal aliens” — a lie. He told Americans that Mexico is responsible for the nation’s illegal gun problem — a lie. He told Americans that Trump actually tried to save the Affordable Care Act — a lie. If Vance had to sell the benefits of asbestos to win office, he would do it well and do it with a smile.
Eternal.Cowboy
JD Vance had a good night but polling has been interesting. Post debate JDV’s favorability rating went up 11 points to 41% favorability. His unfavorable is 44%. Walz got a 13 point boost in favorability and is now at 59% with a 22% unfavorable. Any rational person would take Walz’s numbers, even some DTJ supports like him.
graphicjack
If appearing (mostly) civil while lying through his teeth, avoiding facts and backtracking things he’s said on the record, then sure, I guess you could say ‘he won’, but what does that say about the American electorate if they can be that easily fooled by a snake oil salesman… oh, wait, they elected one in 2016. Never mind.
The only thing I will say is Walz should have blasted him for all his nonsense. That’s disappointing because he’s usually an excellent, forceful and convincing speaker on the fly. But I still think he won the debate, by simply remaining honest for most of it. Why do people get so easily conned?
abfab
JD won nothing. His slime was oozing forth from the television screen.
”But perhaps Vance’s worst moment of the evening came towards the end of the debate, when he flat-out refused to answer whether Trump lost the 2020 election then downplayed the events of January 6, when the armed MAGA militia stormed the U.S. Capitol, attacked police officers, trashed the building, and shit all over the floors.”
-Queerty