By Illinois Review
On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz squared off in the only vice presidential debate before November’s election – just hours after Iran launched over 180 missiles at Israel – as foreign policy, the economy and the border crisis dominated the evening.
Walz, who was visibly nervous and uncomfortable on stage, had a difficult time defending Harris’ record over the last three and a half years – especially her open border policies that have allowed tens of millions of migrants to enter our country illegally in addition to an influx of illegal firearms and fentanyl.
The Minnesota governor praised Vice President Harris for her leadership in the Middle East and falsely blamed President Donald Trump for the conflict that’s escalating between Israel and Iran – saying that Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon because of Donald Trump’s “fickle” leadership.
The Ohio Republican U.S. Senator, who brought his A-game to the debate, and appeared confident and knowledgeable of the issues, responded to Walz and the bias CBS moderators, saying,
“You both seem to be missing the fact that under Donald Trump’s leadership, no new global conflict happened. Everything Iran has done has been under Kamala’s leadership.”
And in one of the most poignant moments of the evening, Vance left Walz virtually speechless with a simple but polite comment in response to the constant barrage of attacks about Trump’s supposed failed leadership at home and abroad, saying,
“You’ve got a tough job here. You’ve got to pretend that Donald Trump didn’t deliver rising take home pay, which of course he did. You’ve got to pretend that Donald Trump didn’t deliver lower inflation, which of course he did. And then you’ve got to defend Kamala Harris’s atrocious economic record, which has made gas, groceries, and housing unaffordable for American citizens.”
Walz’ bad night continued as moderators confronted him about the lie that he was in Hong Kong in 1989 during Tiananmen when photo evidence proved that he was stateside. The exchange was awkward as the governor responded by saying that he’s a “knucklehead at times.”
The evening took a strange turn during a discussion about reducing gun violence in schools when Walz claimed that he has “become friends with school shooters,” prompting Andrew Pollack, a father who lost a child during the Parkland, Florida school shooting to reply on X with,
“My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. It’s absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz has befriended school shooters. Disqualifying.”
Following the debate, the mainstream media was forced to concede that Vance had won and that Walz proved why he hides from the media. Even the New York Times published an opinion piece immediately afterwards titled, “Vance’s Dominant Debate Performance Shows Why He’s Trump’s Running Mate.”
Harris continues to lose ground in key battleground states, and polls are reflecting Harris’ inability to effectively communicate a winning message as data shows President Trump leading in key swing state races. In Arizona, Trump has taken a 6-point lead over Harris according to Suffolk/USA Today. Polling also has Trump ahead in Georgia as he gains momentum with nearly 30 days before the election.
