Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) dominated Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) from start to finish in Tuesday nights vice presidential debate. It wasn't even close. Despite the moderators' best efforts to give Walz a hand, he was no match for Trump's running mate.
Vance, composed and prepared, delivered clear, well-informed responses, especially when highlighting Kamala Harris’s ineffectiveness as vice president. Vance not only outperformed Walz on core issues but also tackled traditionally Democratic topics in ways likely to appeal to voters. His effortless command over the debate left both Walz and the moderators struggling to match his poise and precision.
And not even the liberal media could deny it.
"[JD Vance] landed a lot of punches in between all the niceties and all of that," observed CNN's Abby Phillip. "And the thing that really stood out to me was that Tim Walz did not seem prepared for it. He didn't respond to a lot of the criticisms and attacks that Vance put on the table."
She added, "I mean, I think there was a clear lack of preparation and execution here on Walz's part."
Dana Bash disagreed with her. "I think, actually, it's the opposite," she said. "I think he had too much preparation."
Bash continued, "He had so many lines that he was clearly trying to say that he didn't listen.. when... JD Vance said one of the many, many things he really hit Kamala Harris on — not Tim Walz, but Kamala Harris — he didn't respond because he clearly had things in his mind. I think the lack of interviews that he has done with national media, with local media, it showed he needed more rest."
Jake Tapper agreed.
"I agree. I mean, JD Vance is much more experienced at this, at public speaking, at defending himself, at pivoting," Tapper conceded.
All three CNN panelists agree that Tim Walz got CRUSHED by JD Vance: pic.twitter.com/jic7NLQARE
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 2, 2024
ABC's Jonathan Karl was similarly critical of Walz's performance.
"I gotta say, I think that that Walz did seem unsteady," Karl observed. "And, frankly, what I saw in Walz is somebody who has not faced questions on a national stage since he became the Democratic nominee. He was simply out of practice. I mean, I don't know why they've done it, but they've kept him out of the limelight. They've kept him away from reporters."
Related: Tim Walz Gets Spanked in Debate With JD Vance
Karl continued, "They haven't had him do any interviews, and he was clearly unsteady through much of that debate. And in contrast, JD Vance was very smooth. He took the arguments not to Walz—he was very respectful of Walz — took it to Kamala Harris. Overall, a tone of civility in this debate in an election that has been anything but civil."
ABC's Jonathan Karl: "I've got to say...Walz did seem unsteady and, frankly, what I saw in Walz is somebody who has not faced questions on...He was simply out of practice...JD Vance was very smooth. He took the arguments...to Kamala Harris. Overall, a tone of civility" pic.twitter.com/hxxUUtMWFO
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 2, 2024
The media reactions overwhelmingly acknowledged that Walz essentially flopped in the debate.
Media reactions after the JD Vance vs. Tim Walz debate.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 2, 2024
Geraldo Rivera: JD Vance won the debate.
NBC: Does Tim Walz have a problem with the truth?
Chris Cuomo: JD Vance fact-checked the moderators and he was right.
CNN's John King: Vance carried the important issues.
CNN's… pic.twitter.com/5rICMSivUC
For sure, you can expect the liberal media to try to spin the debate in a way that makes Walz come off as better. In fact, not everyone in the liberal media was willing to acknowledge that Vance handily won the debate. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow couldn't even deny that Vance performed better, but she still said that Walz "won."
"A cordial debate between these two men," observed Maddow. "I wouldn't describe them as evenly matched because they are so different, so different in style and so different on substance."
But then she said, "I think the big picture takeaway from this is that one of these candidates is much slicker than the other, is a much more practiced kind of professional debate style speaker, and the other candidate won."
SHOCK: MSNBC's Rachel Maddow calls the debate for Tim Walz pic.twitter.com/RkKJRGmDqU
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) October 2, 2024
It's hardly surprising that Maddow claimed that Walz won, and I suspect that more people in the liberal media will find a way to spin his terrible performance as a win over the next day or so. As always, we'll be here to call it out.
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