The vice-presidential candidates, running mates of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, faced off on Tuesday in their first and only televised face-to-face.
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A courteous debate in a campaign hitherto marked by very violent rhetoric. Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance, running mates of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for the US presidential election, faced off on Tuesday October 1 during their first and only debate on CBS News. During the 90 minutes of this face-to-face meeting, their microphone was only cut at one point.
Although debates between vice-presidential candidates generally have little influence on the vote, this one could be of particular importance. Donald Trump having refused to face Kamala Harris again, this televised duel could be the last of the campaign. And, according to several American media, it was the Republican running mate who dominated the evening, facing Tim Walz lacking charisma. Here is what to remember from their exchanges, one month before the election.
Tim Walz accuses his rival of “dehumanizing” migrants
While JD Vance recently relayed a false and racist theory according to which Haitian migrants eat cats and dogs, Tim Walz accused his rival of “dehumanize” migrants. The Republican running mate brushed aside these attacks and framed his response on the consequences, according to him, of immigration on housing and health services. “You have overwhelmed hospitals. You have completely unaffordable housing because we have brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce housing,” he replied.
JD Vance also claimed twice that there was “25 million illegal aliens” in the United States. But these figures are not supported by the available data, underlines AFP. The Department of Homeland Security estimated, in a report released in April, that 11 million immigrants were unauthorized in the United States in January 2022. Migration Policy Institute, an organization that works on the migration issue, provides an estimate of 11.3 million people by mid-2022.
Democrats described as having “radical pro-abortion” positions
JD Vance accused Democrats on Tuesday evening of having positions “radical pro-abortion”, while calling on his party to “regain the confidence of Americans on the subject”. In response, Tim Walz said his party was “pro-women (…) for the freedom to make one’s own choices”. The Democratic running mate attacked former President Donald Trump’s record on this issue, and recalled that, under his mandate, the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion.
He then discussed the stories of women who have suffered the consequences of this legislative change, such as the case of Amanda Zurawski, who, after being sent home by doctors at a Texas hospital, experienced a complication in her 18th week. pregnancy that could have killed her.
In April, after weeks of ambiguity, Donald Trump took new positions on abortion, finally excluding any plan to ban it nationwide. A measure nevertheless demanded by its most radical supporters, within the ultra-conservative Christian electorate. On X, Tuesday evening, he repeated this commitment: “Everyone knows that I will under no circumstances support a federal ban on abortion”. The Republican candidate also reiterated his support, “like Ronald Reagan”to abortions in certain circumstances: “I fully support the three exceptions [pour avorter] in cases of rape, incest or risk to the mother’s life.”
JD Vance falsely accuses ‘Kamala Harris administration’ of supporting Iran
Hours after Iran launched 200 missiles against Israel, the candidates were asked whether they would support an Israeli strike on Iran. “It’s up to Israel to decide what it thinks it needs to do to keep its country safe. And we must support our allies wherever they are,” replied JD Vance. Tim Walz, for his part, did not directly answer the question.
The Republican also accused Democrats of supporting Iran. Tehran “received more than $100 billion in assets released thanks to the Kamala Harris administration”. This statement, however, is false. As part of a comprehensive deal reached in 2015 under Barack Obama and put in place the following year to limit the development of Iran’s nuclear program, $100 billion in revenue from Iranian oil sales previously frozen by sanctions was released. . But Kamala Harris, then attorney general of California, was not part of the Obama administration.
Tim Walz also returned to the character of Donald Trump, believing that he was too “volatile” so that he can be trusted to manage this war.
Republican running mate denies link between CO2 emissions and climate crisis
JD Vance questioned “the idea that CO2 emissions are the cause of all climate change” and accused the Democrats of evoking this proven fact “for the sake of argument.” He recalled that his party intended to relaunch “American industry as much as possible”And “produce as much energy as possible in the United States.”
For his part, Tim Walz insisted: “Climate change is a reality. Reducing our impact is absolutely essential.” Regarding Hurricane Helene, which devastated the southeast of the United States and left at least 130 dead, he expressed his deep sadness and affirmed that“There is no doubt that the climate crisis is progressing faster and more intensely than anything we have experienced so far”.
A battle over the 2020 presidential election and American democracy
Nearly four years after the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 by supporters of Donald Trump, Tim Walz estimated that for “the first time in American history”A “president or whoever”had “attempted to overturn a fair election and peaceful transfer of power.” Donald Trump “did he lose the 2020 election?”he even directly asked JD Vance, while the former president always refused to recognize his defeat at the polls. “I am focused on the future”replied the Republican senator, adding all the same that there had been “problems in 2020”.
Candidates who try to show themselves close to voters
Both candidates sought to give themselves an image of a man close to the people. “I am a hunter, I have weapons”for example, launched Tim Walz. In his closing message, the Democratic running mate also thanked viewers who missed the popular show “Dancing with the Stars” to watch the debate, and cited Taylor Swift’s support for his candidate.
JD Vance spoke to him several times about his childhood. “I remember when my grandmother was raising me, and she didn’t have enough money to turn on the heat some nights, because it gets pretty cold at night in Ohio and because the money came often missed”he notably said at the conclusion of the debate.