Exclusive: Former President Trump said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz embarrassed himself during Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, while Senator J.D. Vance’s steady presentation “reaffirmed” his choice of the Ohio senator as his running mate.
Hours after Vance, R-Ohio, and Walz faced off at the CBS News vice presidential debate in New York City, Trump spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning. The two debated issues such as foreign policy, border security, abortion and climate change while introducing themselves and their records to the American people.
Vance, Walz debate abortion and immigration in first and only vice presidential debate
“JD was fantastic last night – it confirmed my choice,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “He had amazing talent at what he did.”
Trump said, “Tim Walz, on the other hand, has proven to be a man who has in no way shape or form the skills for the position he is seeking, although I would rank him several steps above Kamala.”
The former president and Republican presidential candidate said Walz “embarrassed himself and the Democrat Party last night, but JD’s stellar performance made his image even worse.”
Trump said, “That’s what the country needs; smart people, not people who can’t put two sentences together.” “We have to take our country back.”
Former President Trump and vice presidential candidate U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, appear on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The vice presidential debates are traditionally seen as second-tier, but with Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris unlikely to debate again before voters go to the polls on November 5, the stakes have increased for their running mates. Because they tried to deal with it. most important issues The nation is facing.
CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan moderated the debate in New York City on Tuesday night, which was filled with more substantive policy discussion than personal criticisms. Tuesday began with about 50,000 unionized dockworkers going on strike from Maine to Texas and ended with Iran launching its largest attack on Israel in history, firing about 250 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state.
The first question for Walz and Vance was whether they would support a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran.
Walz, who appeared visibly shaky, got off to a bad start to the debate as he spoke about the need for “stable leadership” from the White House, pausing and stumbling over his words. Instead of answering the question, Walz took aim at Trump.
“The basic takeaway here is that steady leadership will matter,” Walz said, pointing to Trump’s debate performance against Harris last month. “It’s clear, and the world saw it on the debate stage a few weeks ago. An almost 80-year-old Donald Trump is talking about crowd sizes that we don’t need at this time.”
But Vance defended Trump in his first response, saying he “provided stability to the world, and he did that by establishing effective deterrence.”
Walz was forced to correct the record on whether he was in China for the Tiananmen Square protests
“People were afraid to step out of line,” Vance said. “Donald Trump recognized that to make people fear the United States, you need peace through force. They need to recognize that if they get out of line, the United States’ global leadership in the world Will bring back stability and peace.”
JD Vance, left, and Tim Walz, right (Credit: CBS)
As far as a preemptive strike, Vance said, “It’s up to Israel to do what they think they need to do to keep their country safe. And we should support our allies, no matter where they are.” Even when they’re fighting the bad guys.”
Walz returned fire. She criticized the Trump administration for pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, saying that Iran is “closer to a nuclear weapon than ever” due to Donald Trump’s unstable leadership, adding that Harris is providing “stable leadership.”
Vance said, “You blame Donald Trump, but who has been the vice president for the last three and a half years? And the answer is your running mate, not mine.”
Vance again defended Trump, saying that he has “consistently made the world a safer place.”
“Governor Walz can criticize Donald Trump’s tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy and peace through force are the only way you can bring stability back to a very broken world,” Vance said. “Donald Trump has done this once before.”
Vance also urged voters to ask themselves, “When was the last time there was no major conflict with an American president?”
“The only answer to that is during the four years that Donald Trump has been president,” Vance said.
The debate focused on the ongoing crisis at the southern border, a top issue for voters.
Vance spoke about Trump’s plan to secure the border, saying he has already gone to the border more than “Border King” Kamala Harris.
But Walz criticized Trump for alleged efforts to sway Republicans to vote against the border bill.
Vance, Walz spar over immigration during vice presidential debate: ‘We went to the border even more’
“As soon as it was getting ready to be passed and actually dealt with, Donald Trump said no, told (lawmakers) to vote against it because it gives them a campaign issue,” Walz said. ” “What would Donald Trump be talking about if we actually did some of these things?”
On the same topic, the moderator asked Vance whether he and Trump would support family separation as part of Trump’s proposed “mass deportation” if elected.
“We have 320,000 children that have been effectively lost to the Department of Homeland Security,” Vance said. “Some of them are sex trafficked. Hopefully some of them are home with their families.
JD Vance and Tim Walz debated Tuesday night in New York City, just weeks before the election. (Reuters)
“Some of them have been used as drug smugglers. The real family separation policy in this country, unfortunately, is Kamala Harris’s open southern border. And I would ask my fellow Americans to remember that she When she came into office, she was going to be saying, ‘You know, I messed up. We’re going back to Donald Trump’s border policies.’ I wish she would, it would be good for all of us.”
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As far as the issue of abortion, another top issue for voters this cycle, Walz said he and Harris are supportive, while Vance said Republicans need to “earn the confidence of the American people on this issue.” Much better work needs to be done.” , where they, frankly, don’t trust us.”
“And I think that’s one of the things that Donald Trump and I are trying to do. I want us, as a Republican Party, to be pro-family in the full sense of the word. I want “We want to make it easier for moms to have kids,” Vance said. “I want to make it easier for young families to have a place to raise that family.” Can buy. And I think there’s a lot we can do on the public policy front to give women more choices right now.”
