The running mates of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump crossed swords Tuesday evening during a civilized joust which contrasted with the tone of the last American presidential debates.
“It is good to have a debate of different ideas conducted with respect and civility,” underlined the researcher associated with the Raoul-Dandurand chair Rafael Jacob.
From the opening of their first and only debate Tuesday evening in New York, Tim Walz (Democrat) and JD Vance (Republican) clashed over the crisis currently igniting the Middle East.
Senator JD Vance particularly praised the leadership qualities of the former Republican president whom he supports, assuring that he had “brought stability to the world”.
“A nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes [à ses réunions] is not the person we need right now,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Vice-President Kamala Harris’ right-hand man.
Specific issues
Unlike the tense debate which opposed the candidates in the race for the White House three weeks ago, Tuesday’s debate allowed debates on specific political questions relating to immigration, the economy or health.
“I believe you, Tim Walz, that you want to fix immigration. I don’t think Kamala Harris wants to do it,” said Republican candidate JD Vance.
Donald Trump’s running mate also accused Democrats of having “radical pro-abortion” positions, to which Tim Walz responded by saying that he “trusted women” on this issue.
At open mics
The microphones remained open throughout the debate, allowing opponents to spontaneously pass the buck.
The two CBS network moderators only needed to cut them off once, since the tone otherwise remained cordial, to say the least.
“The tone was very different. It’s not the vice presidential debate that’s the exception, it’s Donald Trump that’s the exception. Before him, the debates were much more along the lines of what we saw this evening: a real exchange,” underlined Guillaume Lavoie, associate member of the Raoul-Dandurand chair at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
Very few personal attacks were launched between the two vice-presidential candidates during the 90-minute debate, a style that contrasted with the missives sent in recent weeks on social networks.
Influence to be determined
“Vance is a very composed debater, very calm, but extraordinarily skilled. Few debaters are capable of taking a position as complex as that of defending Trump and very quickly turning it to his advantage,” mentioned Mr. Lavoie.
Tim Walz, for his part, “sought to keep the spotlight on Trump throughout the debate. Strategically, it was the right thing to do,” according to Rafael Jacob.
In the history of American presidential elections, debates between running mates have normally had a relatively weak influence on the vote. But, Donald Trump having refused to face Kamala Harris again, this oratorical battle could have been the finale of this campaign.
With AFP and the QMI Agency
Here is how the debate unfolded minute by minute:
10:42 p.m. – Final statements
Tim Walz says Donald Trump “spent 4 years trying to cause carnage,” while Kamala Harris brings optimism, middle-class opportunities and a new joy to politics.
JD Vance thinks the United States is rich enough that everyone can heat their homes in the winter and afford a good meal, which won’t be the case under Kamala Harris’s policies. “We must change direction,” he proclaims.
Getty Images via AFP
10:29 p.m. – Recognition of the election results
“We need to debate the issues, Kamala Harris wants to censor at an industrial level,” says JD Vance. “If Tim Walz is next, he will have my blessing and my help,” assures Donald Trump’s running mate.
“Democracy must be greater than the desire to win,” maintains his opponent, who deplores the role of Donald Trump in the insurrection of January 6, 2021. “When everything is over, we will have to shake hands,” adds. he.
Tim Walz also asked JD Vance to acknowledge that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election, but the Republican dodged the question.
10:20 p.m. – Parental leave
“The economy works best when it works for everyone,” says Tim Walz, who says Kamala Harris is making creating a federal program to pay for parental sick leave a priority.
The programs in place only help one type of family, deplores JD Vance. “It’s unacceptable,” said Donald Trump’s running mate, who wants to give families more options. “We will punish companies that export American jobs overseas and with the money we save, we will offer parental leave to families,” says the Republican candidate.
Getty Images via AFP
10:13 p.m. – Access to health care
Price transparency in hospitals will help families pay for their treatments, says JD Vance.
Kamala Harris negotiated drug prices for the first time, says Tim Walz.
10:06 p.m. – Housing crisis
JD Vance blasts Kamala Harris for letting many illegal immigrants contribute to rising home prices. He also points to the price of a barrel as a factor explaining the housing crisis, emphasizing the importance of investing in American energy to reduce the costs of building homes.
Tim Walz argues that we should not make houses a “commodity,” but his rival argues that the best way to avoid doing that is to prevent illegal immigrants from driving up the price of homes.
Getty Images via AFP
9:58 p.m. – Gun violence in schools
The majority of gun crimes are committed with illegal weapons, and the number of such weapons has increased significantly under the presidency of Joe Biden and the vice-presidency of Kamala Harris, says JD Vance. Mexican drug cartels are smuggling firearms into the United States and we must increase security in schools, insists the Republican candidate.
“I own a gun, but we have a responsibility on the Second Amendment,” says Tim Walz, who believes that the United States should not turn schools into forts, but rather act to truly increase the safety of children. The gun problem should not be so complicated to resolve, says Kamala Harris’s running mate. He does not want mental illness to be stigmatized, because a person suffering from psychological disorders is not necessarily ill, he mentions. “Sometimes the problem is just guns,” says Mr. Walz.
During the exchange, JD Vance sympathized with Tim Walz who confided that his son witnessed a shooting at a community center.
9:44 p.m. – Abortion
The abortion policies supported by Democrats do not mention that it will be possible to have an abortion at 9 months of pregnancy, assures Tim Walz, who contradicts what his opponent has previously declared. The State has no place in women’s decision-making. “We trust women,” proclaims Kamala Harris’s running mate.
JD Vance says he wants to regain Americans’ trust on the issue of abortion and give women more options. According to him, each State must be able to make its own decision.
9:38 p.m. – Candidate qualifications
Tim Walz admits he was wrong when he said he was present in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square events in 1989.
Donald Trump’s running mate claims to have always been very “open” about what he thought, and that is why he did not hesitate to contradict the ex-president’s policies when he disagreed.
AFP
9:31 p.m. – Economy
“We need to get back to a common-sense economy,” says JD Vance.
Kamala Harris’ running mate defends the Democratic candidate’s economic plan, in particular to lower house prices. He also wants to implement tax cuts that will benefit the middle class.
21h28 – Situation à Springfield, Ohio
The lives of citizens of Springfield have deteriorated due to the Biden-Harris administration, accuses JD Vance. He persists with the two journalists who are leading the debate on the issue of immigrants and the process of obtaining their status.
21h17 – Immigration
JD Vance insists on the importance of getting tougher on illegal immigrants, particularly to weaken drug trafficking networks. Building the wall widely praised by Donald Trump in 2016 will “stop the bleeding,” he maintains. According to him, this problem creates other issues, notably crime and more difficult access to the health system.
Tim Walz recalls Kamala Harris’ work as a prosecutor to convict drug gang leaders. He blames Donald Trump for inciting Republicans to block a policy that would have led to the hiring of thousands of border patrol officers to fuel a cause Republicans can campaign on. He accuses Mr. Vance of lying about using immigrant children as “mules” to transport cartels’ drugs into the United States.
AFP
9:10 p.m. – Hurricane “Helene” and the fight against climate change
The Republican running mate maintains that if Donald Trump is elected, the government will help those affected by cataclysms. He criticizes Democrats for investing millions of dollars in solar panels designed in China instead of investing in renewable energy production in the United States.
His opponent points out that the Biden administration has invested in clean energy and argues that reducing the United States’ climate footprint is essential. Mr. Walz points out that Mr. Trump called global warming a “hoax.”
9:03 p.m. – Iranian attack on Israel
Tim Walz reiterates Israel’s right to defend itself. He attacks Donald Trump, saying that he is not capable of handling such a delicate issue, unlike Kamala Harris.
JD Vance says Donald Trump can bring greater stability to the world. He argues that the Biden-Harris administration helped Iran arm and attack a U.S. ally.
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