TV duel between the US vice candidates
Vance: “Trump has delivered” – Walz: “Trump is an agent of chaos”
October 2, 2024, 4:13 a.m
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In a TV exchange of blows, Harris’ “running mate” Walz and Trump’s running mate Vance make the differences between the two camps clear. It’s about border protection, the war in the Middle East, climate policy – and the question: Would a second term in office be a blessing or a risk for Trump.
The Democratic US vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and his Republican rival JD Vance have fought a TV duel on the US broadcaster CBS News. Both pointed to current crises to underscore why their respective “running mate” – in Walz’s case Kamala Harris and in Vance’s case Donald Trump – is the right candidate to lead the US as head of state after the November election.
Vance stated that he was wrong in his once harsh criticism of then US President Donald Trump. “I was wrong about Donald Trump,” he said. Vance said he believed stories that misrepresented Trump’s political record. Trump “delivered.” “If you misunderstand something and change your mind, then you should be honest with the American people,” Vance said. Early in Trump’s presidency, Vance was an outspoken critic, calling the Republican “dangerous.” However, he distanced himself from this opinion when he stepped into the political spotlight himself six years later – and courted Trump as a supporter.
Walz and Vance also addressed the war in the Middle East during the debate. Walz was asked after Iran’s missile attack on Israel whether he would respond to a preemptive strike against Tehran. He didn’t dwell on the question for long – and instead emphasized that Trump was a dangerous choice for the country and the world at a moment of instability. Stable leadership is important, said the governor of Minnesota. “Donald Trump is fickle,” Walz said. “He will turn to whoever flatters him the most or where it makes sense to him.”
Vance, on the other hand, argued that Trump was an intimidating figure. His presence on the international stage itself has a deterrent effect. “Donald Trump has actually provided stability,” he said. Both men demonstrated unity in their view that politics should not hinder cooperation in dealing with the consequences of Hurricane Helene. “I’m sure Governor Walz will join me in saying our hearts go out to these innocent people.”
Walz: Trump is an “agent of chaos”
During the debate, Walz pointed out that former President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the international agreement restricting Iran’s nuclear program during his first term in office. He then failed to reach a new agreement, meaning Iran is now closer to producing a nuclear bomb than ever before. Vance replied that Trump had actually “provided stability in the world,” even though Walz had described him as an “agent of chaos.” He achieved this “by building an effective deterrent. People were afraid of stepping out of line,” said Vance.
Vance attacked Harris in the debate and accused her of failing on border policy. “We have a historic immigration crisis because Kamala Harris started reversing Donald Trump’s entire border policy,” said Vance in the TV duel against his Democratic opponent Tim Walz. With her policies, Harris also ensured that record amounts of the opioid fentanyl came into the country. “So you have to stop the bleeding.” Walz, on the other hand, accused Vance of wanting to “dehumanize” immigrants. “If you side with Donald Trump and don’t work together on a solution,” then immigration will inevitably become a topic of conversation, Walz said. Vance was one of the first Republicans to repeatedly spread the myth that migrants from Haiti were eating residents’ pets in Springfield, Ohio – a racist false claim.
The duel also made clear the differences in attitudes to climate change. The Republican candidate, Senator JD Vance, wanted to admit that CO2 emissions are the cause of climate change only “for the sake of argument” and “not to discuss weird science.” The solution to this from his point of view: bring more production to the USA and produce more energy in the USA. In addition to nuclear power, he also included natural gas.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz pointed out, among other things, that the administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had also expanded the production of renewable energy in order to be future-proof. The Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, however, denied climate change. In the USA, climate change has recently become a major issue due to natural disasters such as the devastating Hurricane Helene.