Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance squared off against each other in a vice-presidential debate in what was the only one this election season. As soon as the debate ended, former US president Donald Trump heaped praise for his running mate for what he called an “outstanding performance”. While on the democratic side, there has been a relative silence, including from the likes of VP Kamala Harris and Biden over the performance of Governor Walz.
Allies of Vice President Kamala Harris praised Walz for his performance but accused Vance of failing to address pressing issues during the debate.
Harris-Walz Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said, “Tonight, Governor Walz showed exactly why Vice President Harris picked him: he is a leader who cares about the issues that matter most to the American people. In the debate, Americans got to see a real contrast: a straight talker focused on sharing real solutions, and a slick politician who spent the whole night defending Donald Trump’s division and failures.”
However, Kamala Harris yet has remained silent and not commented on her running mate’s debate performance.
Meanwhile on the MAGA side, there has been a flurry of responses praising Senator Vance for his performance led by Donald Trump himself. Trump took to Truth Social after the debate and called Vance’s performance “outstanding” and termed governor Tim Walz as a “Low IQ Disaster,” comparing him to Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump went on to warn that the country “would never be able to recover” under a Walz-Harris administration and questioned their ability to represent the nation.
Trump in a series of posts on Truth Social, said, “JD crushed it! Walz was a Low IQ Disaster – Very much like Kamala. Our Country would never be able to recover from an Administration of these two. Can you imagine them representing us with sharp, fierce Foreign Leaders? I can’t!”
Donald Trump’s senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said that Trump was “absolutely thrilled” with how republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance handled the debate, pointing out that he effectively communicated the message of the Trump-Vance ticket.
“He was absolutely thrilled with JD Vance’s performance this evening. It is very clear that JD Vance was able to articulate the message of the Trump-Vance ticket. He was able to remind voters of the prosperous four years when President Donald Trump was in the White House,” He was able to take Tim Walz to task on Kamala Harris’ failed three and a half years. It was an incredible performance. The president was thrilled,” she added.
Donald Trump Jr., former President Donald Trump’s eldest son, celebrated Ohio Senator JD Vance’s performance in the vice presidential debate, telling CNN it was a “masterclass.”
The debate for a large part centered around domestic issues except for few passing discussions on Israel-Iran conflict and US’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
