Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Go Head to Head: Play-by-Play of the 2024 Vice Presidential Debate

By Gabrielle Chagniot

gchagniot@gmail.com

On Oct. 1st, 2024, Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, took to the debate stage in New York City for the only vice presidential debate this election cycle.

The moderators of the debate, Norah O’Donnell from CBS Evening News and Margaret Brennan from “Face the Nation,” started off by asking the candidates if they would support or oppose a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran. Walz mentioned Oct. 7, 2023, making it clear he thinks Israel has a fundamental right to defend itself and get back their hostages. However, he stated that he would like to see an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

When Vance was asked the same question, he said, “It is up to Israel what they think they need to do to keep their country safe. And we should support our allies wherever they are when they’re fighting the bad guys.”  

They discussed climate change and Hurricane Helene. Vance said that he and Trump support clean air and water, and a safer environment. Walz mentioned that Trump had previously called climate change a hoax, a comment Vance couldn’t defend. Walz said that he and Kamala Harris will produce more natural gas and more clean energy, just as she and Joe Biden have done.

O’Donnell and Brennan next introduced the topic of immigration and reminded the candidates that it’s a top issue on voters’ minds. Vance then claimed that fentanyl is coming into the country because of “illegal immigrants.” Brennan asked about Trump’s intention to carry out the largest deportation plan in American history, and Vance said that he and Trump would use the military to do this. Vance also supports continuing to build the US/Mexican border wall. He would first deport “criminal migrants” and make it harder for other immigrants to undercut the wages of American workers. Vance also said that Trump’s border policies will be good for everyone. 

Walz said that opioid abuse is a problem in this country but that in the last year, there has been a large decrease in opioid deaths. He also noted that Harris is the only person in the race who prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drug interventions. Walz made the case that Congress had a bill ready to be signed to deal with illegal immigration, but Trump, along with other Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, stopped it. Trump urged congressional Republicans to reject the bipartisan border security bill because he thought it would be bad for him politically.  “Trump dehumanizes people,” Walz said.

Before joining Trump’s campaign, Vance called Trump’s immigration plan “so unworkable that it was laughable.” Walz said Harris would sign into law any bill that humanely deals with the immigrant crisis.

The candidates discussed the topic of housing. According to Vance, housing is unaffordable because millions of “illegal migrants” are competing with Americans for scarce homes, and he intends to evict them and seize their homes. 

Walz felt immigrants were being blamed unfairly for everything and spoke of a bill to process asylum claims within ninety days for those who need it, rather than the seven years it takes now. 

Regarding inflation, Harris promises a $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and a $10,000 credit. The Harris Walz ticket also promises to build 3 million new houses. 

O’Donnell said that Harris unveiled a plan that includes billions in tax cuts for manufacturing and housing and a renewed child tax credit. She asked Walz how he and Harris would pay for it without contributing to the deficit. He said they propose building three million new houses with down payment assistance. He wants tax credits to go to the middle class, and to also give businesses help getting started. 

Walz also mentioned Trump’s plan by saying that “Trump gave tax cuts that mostly went to the wealthy. Now because of this, an $8 trillion increase [in the federal deficit] has occurred. Trump is now proposing a 20% consumption sales tax. This would destabilize businesses and increase inflation which could possibly lead to a recession.” 

O’Donnell let viewers know that The Wharton School has analyzed Trump’s economic plan and says it would increase the nation’s deficit by $5.8 trillion dollars. When asked how Vance and Trump would pay for it without further contributing to the nation’s deficit, he said that Trump has common sense before adding that some of Harris’s plans sounded good. 

Walz rebutted that when Harris and Biden came into office, they had to clean up Trump’s “Covid mess” and that Trump’s failure on Covid led to the economy’s collapse. 

Walz also said that Trump thinks he knows everything and has all the answers, when actually it’s important to listen to the advice of economists, scientists, national security advisors, etc. Vance refuted this by saying that experts could be wrong sometimes and therefore can’t be trusted. Vance doesn’t think we will fix various problems with the advice of experts but rather by listening to Trump. 

The moderators asked about leadership qualifications. O’Donnell and Brennan asked the VP candidates if each one was prepared to tell their running mate the advice and recommendations he or she needed to know, not just the advice he or she wanted to hear. Neither VP candidate directly answered the question. Walz said that he is committed to making sure that he’s there for the people. 

Vance however, in 2016, called Trump unfit for the Nation’s highest office and that he could be America’s Hitler. He also disparaged Trump’s economic record while in office. He said there were many areas, such as tariffs, that Trump could have improved upon when he was president. Vance also praised Biden by saying that Biden continued some of the Trump tariffs that protected manufacturing jobs.”

Walz mentioned how proud Trump is for having overturned Roe v Wade. On reproductive choice, Walz said that women should be in charge of their own healthcare and that doctors should not have to fear arrest and prosecution. Citing Trump’s project 2025, Walz argued the plan would “more difficult if not impossible to get contraception.”

Vance responded by saying that “his party” needed to do a better job of earning American’s trust back on the issue. He is in favor of letting each individual state make the decision to allow abortions. When he was running for the senate in 2022, Vance supported a federal ban on abortion after fifteen weeks, saying that “if someone can’t support legislation, you are making the US the most barbaric pro-abortion regime anywhere in the entire world.”

Harris has plans to reinstate Roe v Wade, to which Walz added that it “doesn’t  preclude us from increasing funding for children.”

Gun violence was also discussed, particularly about whether or not to hold responsible and prosecute the parents of teen shooters. Vance favors trusting local law enforcement and local authorities to make that decision. Walz answered by saying that Harris, as attorney general, worked on this issue. He also said in Minnesota, they have reinforced red flag laws and enhanced background checks. 

Regarding healthcare, Vance defended Trump’s comments regarding having “concepts of a plan” and touted his introduction of hospital price transparency requirements. Walz said that he was there when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was created and explained why it was important to him. Adding that Harris “will protect and enhance the ACA,” and more people will be covered. Walz also said that Trump was unsuccessful in his attempt to repeal the ACA. Vance didn’t answer the question about protecting and insuring people with preexisting conditions. 

Both candidates were asked how much time and money should employers be required to give their employees on maternity or paternity leave. Walz said child care is also a top priority for Harris, and this is a negotiable issue between employers and employees. Vance saw this as a bipartisan issue and said we should have a family care model that makes the choice easier. 

The last topic discussed before the closing statements was democracy. This was mainly directed toward Vance, as he has previously stated that he would not have certified the 2020 election and would have asked the states to submit alternative electors.  The moderators reminded Vance that this would have been illegal and unconstitutional. He reminded the audience that Trump peacefully handed over power on Jan. 20, 2021, before pivoting the topic to what he believed was the real threat to democracy – censorship. When Vance accused Democrats of wanting to kick people off Facebook for saying that toddlers should not wear masks, Walz replied by saying, “Well, I don’t run Facebook.”

During closing statements, Walz stated that Harris provides a different option and a new direction. He said that democracy matters and that the economy can work for everyone. “Freedom really means something, not the freedom of government to be in your bedroom or exam room, but the freedom for you to make choices about yourself,” Walz said. He praised the Kamala Harris coalition, from Bernie Sanders to Taylor Swift, and claimed that she would bring real solutions for the middle class.

Vance began his statement by blaming Harris’s energy policies for making it less affordable for American families to heat their homes. He criticized Harris as vice president, saying that she caused grocery prices to go up and contributed to the streets being flooded with fentanyl. “We need change. We need a new direction,” Vance explained before endorsing the man who had already been president once before.

His closing statement was reminiscent of Trump’s in that he did not say what they would do for their country but instead used their time to criticize their opponent.