Media reports said that although vice presidential debates usually have little impact on election results, the confrontation between Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz is expected to attract a lot of attention, as this could be the last debate between representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties, as presidential candidates - Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump - have yet to agree on a debate schedule, while there is still more than a month until the election.
Ohio Senator JD Vance (left) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during the debate on October 1 (US time)
Starting with the Middle East situation
The vice presidential debate came hours after Iran launched more than 200 missiles at Israel, bringing the Middle East to the forefront of the conversation as the usual candidate debates begin with domestic issues.
Tim Walz began by saying “remember when it all started,” referring to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He said Israel’s ability to defend itself is “absolutely fundamental.”
The New York Times said Mr. Walz's answers were somewhat hesitant and he at one point confused Iran and Israel, referring to "Israel and its proxy forces." He then turned to attack Mr. Trump.
When it was Mr. Vance’s turn, the Republican candidate began his answer with a brief introduction of his background. He then emphasized that Israel must do what is necessary to keep its country safe.
“Many Americans are worried about the chaos in the world and the feeling that the American dream is unattainable,” Mr. Vance said, then praised Mr. Donald Trump for “always making the world safer.”
Climate change
Hurricane Helene and climate change were the next topics to come up. Vance was asked what the Trump administration’s responsibility would be to try to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and said the Republican candidate supports clean air and clean water, adding that Trump wants a “cleaner, safer” environment.
Walz continued his attack on former President Trump, mentioning that Trump had previously called climate change a “hoax.” The Minnesota governor praised the Biden-Harris administration for making major investments to combat climate change.
“Farmers in my state of Minnesota know that climate change is real after witnessing consecutive droughts and floods,” said Mr. Walz.
Immigration issues
Senator Vance emphasized his stance on mass deportations of immigrants, blaming Ms. Harris for the “historic immigration crisis.” He said Ms. Harris’s “open borders” stance had led to mass child separations, accusing the current vice president of allowing Mexican drug cartels to operate freely and using children as drug mules.
Governor Walz praised Ms. Harris as the only person in the race who has prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drug crimes, noting that Ms. Harris was once California's attorney general.
Each candidate tried to talk more about immigration even though time was running out, forcing the moderator to temporarily mute their microphones.
Voters' top concerns
Asked about the Harris-Walz administration's economic plan, Tim Walz said the wealthiest people would pay their fair share of taxes. "When you do that, our system works best," he said, attacking Donald Trump for benefiting from tax policies.
ABC News cited studies estimating that Mr. Trump's spending and tax cuts would reduce tax revenue by $5.8 trillion and create a budget deficit. Mr. Vance said: "A lot of economists have criticized Donald Trump's plans and they have PhDs but they don't have the ability to judge." He emphasized that Mr. Trump's proposals are "not just plans, they are records."
On abortion, Mr. Walz criticized Mr. Trump’s previous comments, when the former president praised the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Mr. Walz cited stories of women being threatened when trying to access abortion, due to restrictions in some states.
Asked about his previous comments supporting a nationwide abortion ban, Mr. Vance denied that he was pushing that position, claiming the Trump administration was trying to help families, including ensuring access to child care and fertility treatments.
Gun problem
After the break, the two candidates returned to the topic of guns.
Vance was asked whether parents should be held accountable for preventing mass shootings. “I think in some cases the answer is yes, in other cases it’s no,” he said, adding that he trusts law enforcement and local governments to make decisions. He said it was worrying that the majority of gun violence comes from illegal gun ownership, stressing that a big reason for the shootings was “the mental health crisis in America.”
Walz responded that he was “very careful” to avoid stigma when it came to mental health. “Just because you have a mental health issue doesn’t mean you’re prone to violence,” he said. Walz also shared the story of his 17-year-old son witnessing the shooting at the community center. “Those things don’t leave your mind,” he said. Rival JD Vance said he didn’t know about Walz’s son and told the governor, “I’m sorry about that.”
Housing issues
Walz was asked about Harris’ campaign pledges to provide $25,000 down payments for first-time homebuyers, a $10,000 tax credit and build three million homes. He said Harris’s policies would not drive up home prices and that housing supply would stabilize the labor market.
Mr. Vance attacked Ms. Harris for allowing millions of people to come to the United States and driving up housing prices, saying Mr. Trump’s policy of increasing energy production would help lower prices for Americans. He added that there was still a lot of unused federal land that could be used for housing.
Closing Message
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said freedom is about being able to make choices for yourself and that supporting democracy is important. "Kamala Harris is giving us a new path. She's giving us politics that has fun," Walz said.
Mr. Vance's message focused on attacking Ms. Harris, blaming the Democratic presidential candidate for policies that have increased the cost of energy, housing and many other fees.
"We need change. We need a new direction. We need a president who has done this once and done it well," he said.
The two candidates ended the debate, shook hands and talked to each other before leaving the stage.
According to CBS News, the organizer of the vice presidential debate, the two moderators will focus on letting the candidates discuss and enforce the ground rules, rather than directly verifying information.
"The goal of the debate is to give the candidates a good debate and the moderator will give them an opportunity to fact-check each other," said Claudia Milne, senior vice president of CBS News.
The two candidates' tactics and messages are different, but The New York Times mentioned that the two vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz will have the same goal, which is not to negatively affect their running mate on the election track.
At today’s debate, both candidates’ microphones will be on throughout, leading to a scenario where one candidate may interrupt the other while speaking. However, the two moderators can mute the candidates’ microphones if necessary. This is also a notable difference from the Trump-Harris debate.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xem-cuoc-tranh-luan-dac-biet-cua-hai-ung-vien-pho-tong-thong-my-185241002074019221.htm
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