Vance made a clear attempt to soften his image to an on-the-fence electorate that has experienced him through the prism of an unsparing media.
During debates, first impressions are often what matter most. Unlucky for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that the first question during last night’s first and only vice-presidential debate was about foreign policy — the same day Iran fired a barrage of missiles into Israel.
“Israel’s ability to be able to defend itself is absolutely fundamental,” Walz said in a response that sought to contrast what he called the “steady” leadership of Kamala Harris to the “fickle” foreign policy of Donald Trump. His halting answer — heavy on the interjection “uh” — did little to express command of the issue.
The governor found his stride later in the evening when discussing domestic political issues like abortion, and he got a one-liner in when he called Vance’s refusal to say that Trump lost the election a “damning nonanswer.”
But rhetorically speaking, his GOP opponent Ohio senator J. D. Vance was crisp and polished from start to finish – constantly reminding the audience about high prices and unfettered immigration under the Biden-Harris administration’s watch, and often smirking at the camera when Walz had the floor. His performance last night was a strong asset to a GOP ticket whose chief advocate often veers off script and gets easily baited into tense exchanges. Not so last night with Vance. Before answering the first question about foreign policy, he made a clever point of introducing himself to swing-voters and humbly asking for their vote, a clear attempt to soften his image to an on-the-fence electorate that has spent the past two-and-a-half months watching his vice-presidential candidacy through the prism of an unsparing media.
The upside of this adversarial media environment is that it’s given Vance lots of practice on the public speaking front. Unlike the Kamala Harris campaign, which has made the strategic decision to shield Walz from adversarial and even friendly interviews on the campaign trail, the Trump campaign decided to throw Vance to the sharks the moment the Republican convention ended. That early and consistent unscripted interaction with reporters paid off tremendously on the debate stage last night in New York City, where he delivered a performance that is likely to be remembered fondly by Republicans well into 2028.
Both candidates came across as extremely polite and respectful throughout, often making a point of telling the audience that they assume the other has good intentions and is simply misguided on policy.
Walz became more confident throughout the evening but grew particularly frustrated during an exchange about claims he’s made about his time in China. “You said you were in Hong Kong during the deadly Tiananmen Square protest during the spring of 1989,” CBS News moderator Margaret Brennan asked. “But Minnesota Public Radio and other outlets are reporting that you didn’t actually travel to Asia until August that year. Can you explain that discrepancy?”
As many reporters observed Tuesday evening, Walz’s sputtering response was shocking given his obvious need to anticipate that question ahead of the debate. “Look, I grew up in small rural Nebraska, town of 400, town of where you rode your bike with your buddies until the street lights come on and I’m proud of that service,” Walz replied. The governor then embarked on a long and winding explanation of his biography, from joining the National Guard at age 17, to working on family farms, and becoming a teacher through the GI bill. “My first year out I got the opportunity in the summer of ’89 to travel to China, 35 years ago, be able to do that.”
“We would take basketball teams, we would take baseball teams, we would take dancers, and we would go back and forth to China,” he said, adding that he’s “poured my heart into my community, I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect, and I’m a knucklehead at times.” Pressed further by the moderators about the lie, Walz said he “misspoke.”
Realistically, Tuesday night’s debate will do little to alter that trajectory of this race that looks like a jump ball in this final stretch. Take it from the GOP ticket.
Vance is a “great debater” and “extraordinarily smart,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said during Georgetown University politics panel at the Republican convention in Milwaukee back in July. But “make no mistake,” he clarified. “Donald Trump is the person who’s driving this. People aren’t voting for a vice president, right? They’re voting for a president.”