USA US vice presidential candidates exchange blows in TV duel
The two US vice-presidential candidates Tim Walz and J.D. Vance have exchanged blows in their first and probably only TV duel.
02.10.2024, 05:22
SDA
They accused the other party of political failure, but delved deep into the issues during the debate. Republican Vance blamed Kamala Harris for current crises, while Democrat Walz defended Harris and warned against Donald Trump's return to the White House.
On November 5, Harris and Trump will run against each other in the presidential election - polls predict a close race. Both are trying to win over undecided voters in particular. In doing so, they are focusing on the politically particularly hard-fought states - and are of course also relying on their "running mates": Walz and Vance both come from the Midwest.
The 90-minute debate, broadcast live from New York by US broadcaster CBS, took place without an audience. Walz and Vance were not allowed to use crib sheets or have contact with their teams. The microphones remained on, but were muted by moderators Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan when the candidates interrupted each other.
Middle East, migration, climate change, abortion and other issues
In view of the situation in the Middle East, the 60-year-old Walz warned against another Trump presidency. "It comes down to solid leadership," said the governor of Minnesota. "Donald Trump is fickle," he continued. "He will go to whoever is most flattering to him or where it makes sense for him." Vance countered that Trump had "provided stability" during his time in office.
The issue of abortion also caused controversy. Walz criticized Republicans for wanting to intervene in women's private lives. Among other things, Vance used the debate to blame Harris for the crisis at the US border. "We have a historic immigration crisis because Kamala Harris started undoing Donald Trump's entire border policy," said the 40-year-old senator from Ohio.
The candidates also discussed climate change, the economy, gun violence and democracy in the debate.
Vance: "I was wrong about Donald Trump"
At the beginning of Trump's presidency, Vance was a vocal critic of the Republican. However, this opinion changed when he stepped into the political spotlight himself six years later - and also courted Trump as a supporter.
In the duel, Vance now stated that he had been wrong in his once harsh criticism. "I was wrong about Donald Trump," he said. He had believed stories that misrepresented Trump's political record, Vance explained. Trump had "delivered". "If you misunderstood something and you change your mind, then you should be honest with the American people," Vance said.
Probably the last TV duel before the election
Vice debates are not considered to be decisive for the election. However, the TV duel between Walz and Vance was probably the last one before the election in just over a month's time and is therefore likely to leave an important impression on many voters.
In September, Harris and Trump competed against each other in a TV debate and engaged in a heated battle of words. Trump allowed himself to be provoked by Harris, appeared annoyed at times and became defensive. Harris attacked Trump head-on and refused to be flustered. Harris proposed a second duel immediately after the first. Trump, on the other hand, did not want to commit to a second debate afterwards.
Trumps with live comments on Truth Social
Trump commented on the debate in a kind of live ticker on the online platform "Truth Social", which he co-founded. He accused O'Donnell and Brennan of being "extremely biased moderators". He accused Democrat Walz of having a "low intelligence quotient" because he took notes several times during the debate.
