Conventional wisdom holds that vice presidential debates don’t move the needle much. But JD Vance’s dominating performance over Tim Walz Tuesday night, and in particular his ability to turn the debate into a referendum on Kamala Harris’s record, means we may have seen the impossible – a VP debate that mattered.
The real impact of the only scheduled showdown between Vance and Walz isn’t in the post-debate polls showing a clear Vance victory or in the commentary from various liberal pundits begrudgingly acknowledging that Vance romped. Instead, the lasting effect on the race will be in the viral moments that Vance produced which take on a life of their own on social media and in the public consciousness. It will also be in how Vance’s evisceration of the Biden-Harris record will serve as a blueprint for prosecuting the case for Trump over the next month.
A few exchanges in particular stand out as moments that could linger on in the minds of the American people and alter the shape of the race over the final month.
The first was Vance dismantling a bogus fact check from the CBS moderators on immigration – after CBS said going into the debate that it would not be doing any fact checks. Vance correctly pointed out that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are engaged in rampant abuse of the asylum and parole systems, allowing towns like Springfield, Ohio, to be flooded with tens of thousands of migrants who are raising the cost of housing and driving down American wages. His response was so effective, in fact, that CBS cut his microphone halfway through it.
Democrats and the journalist class will, of course, be quick to say that Vance was lying and the moderators were right to fact-check him. But for many everyday Americans watching – among whom trust in the media is already at historic lows – CBS breaking its own stated policy and then literally silencing Vance when he called it out could further undermine trust in the corporate press.
Vance’s tongue-in-cheek sympathy for Walz on the “tough job” he had on the debate stage could likewise become a moment that lives on past the immediate aftermath of Tuesday night. “Honestly Tim, I think you’ve got a tough job here,” Vance said. “Because you’ve gotta play whack-a-mole. You’ve gotta pretend Donald Trump didn’t deliver rising take-home pay, which of course he did. You’ve gotta pretend Donald Trump didn’t deliver lower inflation, which of course he did. And then you’ve simultaneously gotta defend Kamala Harris’s atrocious economic record which has made gas, groceries, and housing unaffordable.”
In just a few seconds, Vance entirely undermined the entire narrative of the Harris campaign on the economy, consistently rated as the top issue by voters. Anyone watching – and anyone who sees that viral clip on social media in the coming days – will see a common-sense framework for approaching the election as a question of which candidate performed better on the economy (and, for that matter, the border, foreign policy, and a host of other issues). That is a question the Harris campaign desperately doesn’t want voters asking themselves because the clear answer is Donald Trump.
Vance’s closing statement, which echoed the strong closing statement from Trump in his debate with Harris, likewise served as a simple distillation of the question before the American people this November. He pointed out that so many things once taken for granted as part of the American Dream – being able to heat your home in the winter, put food on the table, live in safe communities, and have a secure border – are now more difficult under the Biden-Harris administration. “She’s been the vice president for three and a half years,” Vance said. “Day one was 1,400 days ago, and her policies have made these problems worse.”
It’s easy to envision many Trump supporters sharing this clip with friends and family members who are on the fence as a simple, well-reasoned analysis of why Harris can’t be trusted and why Trump deserves another term.
What ultimately made Vance’s performance so memorable and effective was not only his message of discipline and command of the facts but also his ability to blow up the media’s absurd caricatures of him and by extension the entire Republican Party. The media and the Democrat Party, who know they will lose an election that is about issues, desperately want to make it a personality contest. But Vance won on both personality and issues Tuesday night.
Walz, meanwhile, proved himself completely not up to the task. At times he seemed to be running for vice president of Minnesota, referring constantly to his work in the state – without seeming to understand how disastrous his tenure has been. One of the few missed opportunities for Vance was a mention of how Walz bears a uniquely large degree of responsibility for the riots that swept the country in the summer of 2020 because he failed to put down violence on the streets of Minneapolis – doing nothing as rioters burned a police precinct to the ground.
At several other moments, Walz stumbled over his words and misspoke – mistakes that were magnified because of how articulate Vance was throughout the debate. One of Walz’s remarks in particular, that he has “become friends with school shooters” (presumably he meant to say “school shooting victims”) became easy fodder on social media, producing countless memes mocking Walz.
Walz also somewhat bizarrely referred to himself as a “knucklehead,” a comment that may come back to bite both him and Harris. With so many pressing issues facing the country, from war abroad to an illegal immigration crisis, do Americans really want a “knucklehead” to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? Walz’s “folksy” demeanor may play well on the campaign trail, but when it comes time to head to the ballot box, Americans want candidates who take the job and themselves seriously.
Veteran political observers and media figures watching this moment on Tuesday could undoubtedly not help but think of another definitive moment from the 1988 contest between Democrat Lloyd Bentsen and Republican Dan Quayle. After Quayle compared himself to John F. Kennedy, Bensten quickly retorted, “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” The remark has now become an established part of the American political lexicon, a treatment that could also be in store for Walz’s “knucklehead” comment.
For some, this moment in the debate might have been reminiscent of Dan Quale comparing himself to John F. Kennedy, and responding “Senator, I knew Jack Kennedy, and you are no Jack
But perhaps nothing sums up the debate better than this side-by-side of Vance and Walz that has been posted and reposted tens of thousands of times:
Vance never interrupted Walz on Tuesday night, but his occasional skeptical glances at the camera like the one captured here (which many favorably compared to Jim Halpert’s habit of breaking the fourth wall in The Office) seemed to send a clear message to the American people: you can’t trust a word this guy is saying. Walz, meanwhile, often appeared frazzled and confused, like someone who knows he’s already lost on the substance of the race.
Perhaps Tuesday’s debate won’t move the needle much. But to the extent that it will move the needle at all, it will move it in Trump’s direction. The outcome in November could be an easy victory for Harris or Trump. But if the race comes down to a photo finish, Tuesday’s debate could make all the difference.
Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
The debate went as I expected it would. The moderators were in the bag for Walz and the topics and the way the questions were worded was designed to favor Walz in almost all cases. I guess CBS wants to be known as being even more in the tank for the Democrats than ABC is.
That Walz couldn’t perform and that he was constantly mugging for the camera with those ridiculous facial expressions, no doubt suggested by the same Democrat consultant who coached Harris on her own ridiculous hand and facial gestures throughout her last debate, just highlighted the ineptness of the Democrat ticket. I would have loved to see some post-debate coverage on the MSM that asked some Democrat voters if they really thought that bad acting was genuine. If yes, then that would go a long way to defining how truly stupid the average Democrat voter is.
As for Vance, he was fine. He stayed on point, answered all the questions instead of trying the standard Democrat dodge of either deflection or world salad and pushed back just enough with the moderators to send the message that their planned tactics wouldn’t work. So, Trump made a good choice in selecting Vance for V.P., as opposed to Harris picking Walz instead of Shapiro because Shapiro is Jewish and the Muslim pro-Hamas faction of the Democrat Party would never stand for that.
I was very impressed. He was debating 3 libtards at once and never got rattled. He did nothing but help himself and help President Trump. Vance was amazing. MAGA
Everyone living in the reality seeing what has happened to our country under Obama and his disciple Biden must see there is nothing to decide or discuss. The disaster and chaos is evident, there is only one way to turn it around before it ends in total explosion, which will happen if Harris gets in. Hurricane Kamala has done to the whole country what Helene did to only a par of it.
I thought it was ridiculous that Walz started out saying how instrumental the US was in helping Israel while under attack….Israel defended themselves despite this administration. Yes – we used some of our ships and defense equipment, but we most certainly DID NOT drive the event. JD Vance was very even, thoughtful and articulate. He didn’t lose his cool and even pushed back against CBS. We knew CBS would be in the bag for Walz – but they even looked stupid! All in all a good night.
I don’t like Presidential, or vice-presidential debates because they are all conducted by the lame stream media, so I was not going to watch until, J. D. Vance started from the get-go in showing how smart he was, and when the moderators started to stick it to him, he turned the tables and stuck it right back, he showed everyone he was the smartest one in the room.
God Bless America!
Kudos, JD Vance. He would be up to the task of debating a legitimate candidate, but had banner day (night) against this marxist, c.c.p. loving KNUCKLEHEAD!
The winner??? CBS dominated ABC when considering which network most “helped the democrat candidate/debater”. Americans simply need to turn off/tune out legacy media. Like we would say to a bad drug, Just Say “No!” to legacy media. BTW…Vance CRUSHED it in a Three-On-One match!! MAGA!
Let’s continue praying for Trump and Vance…..and for our country!
Hey Walz—us “knuckleheads” do not want to be associated with you or your DEI Poster girl Kamela.
You 2 are dumber than dirt! You are a national embarrassment to our great country
This is why Democrat-biased media networks want to do all the debates. If they didn’t cheat and act unfairly towards the Republican candidate, they Republican would win big every time. Vance told the TRUTH and maintained his cool throughout. Trump was heavily criticized by the Marxists because he would not agree to yet another biased network debate Why would he put himself out there again only to have more lies told about him??? I am sick of the rampant lying by the Marxists. If people cannot see through the lies, they are stupid.
I think Vance’s performance showed us a future president of the United Sates, someone articulate, honest, refined, dignified & very intelligent, whereas the old man defined himself perfectly, a liar & a knucklehead as he said it himself. Vance won that debate 100%.
Vance was amazing! And the polls, hoisted by the liberal media, are not even close to accurate. The lies are going to get even more heavy over the next month. But a Trump victory is coming!
For the undecided, maybe all of us need to ask ourselves, which one of these men would you feel most comfortable with if their president partner died and they were the successor???
I am voting for the person I do NOT like. Why?? Because he is BEST for our country, that’s why. Kamala Harris may be very persuasive about a lot of fluff, but she doesn’t know what she is doing because she never went to find out at the border until just recently, and allowed it all to happen that has happened with open borders.
The MSM and dems are saying it is not about policies, because Harris has none, but about personalities. Harris brings Joy and Tampon Tim described himself as a “knucklehead”. Do we want Joy and Knucklehead run our country? Two DEI choices who blather nonsense have no policies or vision for the country. Only steal policies from Trump but nothing about how they going to pay for it. Inflation is not coming down by fining companies for price gouging. Vance did an excellent job. The man can answer any question with truth and facts. Doesn’t need to rehearse cliches or sound bites. Harris/Walz have no Vision for this country and she can’t defend her job for the past 4 years because she didn’t do anything. Vance raised the merit of the Republican ticket. The MSM will find something to distract from his excellent debate. But nothing can beat this headline. “WALZ SAYS HE IS A KNUCKLEHEAD”.
Vance was steady and measured (except when he said that President Trump saved Obamacare) and Walz was a nervous, self-proclaimed knucklehead.
In any case, most people probably didn’t watch and I doubt that any minds were made-up as a result of this “debate”.
vance is future presidential material.
Trump was burned at every step during his first term. It won’t happen again. Mr. President, good choice picking JD Vance!
Take a look at the photos above. Ever notice how Tampon Tim has a striking resemblance of the late Don Rickles? Except, Rickles was far more entertaining, and Walz truly is a HOCKEY PUCK!!! VOTE TRUMP/VANCE!!! MAGA!!!
First, a correction–Quayle did NOT compare himself to JFK. He compared his length of political experience to JFK. Bentsen, a first-class fool, LIED about knowing and being a friend of JFK!
As for Vance/Waltz, we learned a new synonym for LIAR; it’s called “Knucklehead.” Also, Walz didn’t know (or didn’t want to admit) the particulars of the radical abortion law which he signed! “Perinatal” is a defined term meaning within 28 days AFTER birth. Doctors in MN do NOT have to offer perinatal care per MN law!
The most important question was not asked. Governor Walz, what would you expect the answer to be if a voter was asked if he is better off today than four years ago?
Not to worry, Vance answered it on his own. Whack a mole.
When Trump gets elected, people that voted for Harris should be required to keep paying the same prices at the grocery store, at the gas pump, everywhere that the Democrats have destroyed. Meanwhile those that voted for Trump can reap the benefits of his excellent economy.
many doubted trump’s selection of vance. Those doubts have been answered. Instead of a subservient wallflower, trump chose a highly ambitious and articulate vp. This is important whenever the potus candidate is 78 yrs old. You can bet the treason party is doubly worried now, that trump might win and in winning set up a political dynasty extending for at least twelve yrs. Were that to happen, we could actually see communism finally swept into the dustbin of history, as reagan predicted.
I wish I could watch even one debate where the moderators were honest and stuck to impartial principles. The two women moderating for CBS were so obnoxious and smug, both of them. When Nora O’Donnell hit the button to turn off Vance’s mic, I about exploded. Then Margaret Brennan “fact-checked” Vance despite the agreement not to do so and neither of them fact-checked Walz who lied several times during his canned answers, esp, about IVF, abortion and Project 2025, none of which are really supported by Trump/Vance though Kamala’s commercials say Trump backs a national abortion ban, doesn’t want IVF and is supporting Project 2025. I noticed within the first half hour that the moderators were directing their questions (which also contained an expected response) to Walz first most of the time, thereby not allowing Vance to speak first and make points regarding the Democrat/Biden/Harris terrible leadership and failures. Vance was left to the one minute response much more often than was Walz. Alll in all, Walz showed why he is an unpopular governor of MN and Vance showed why he was able to come up from poverty to be so respected and accomplished at only 40 years old.
I believe most people in business or run businesses in our country are conservative. Those people know what it is like to meet a payroll along with all of the other obligations business people in the private sector have to contend with on a daily basis. Kamala says she is pro small business but it surely seems to be contrary to their actions. Since inflation is as bad as it is and most likely the result of democrat policies I think to institute the following policy for small and medium sized businesses. It is pretty easy to find our if folks are liberal or conservative and thus put the following policy to work: If they are liberal give them a taste of their own medicine and charge them liberally; if they are conservative treat them with conservative pricing. Now how is that for financial censorship; payback for their censorship or our first amendment rights! Vance was top notch last night.
One of the moderators claimed that the leading cause of death among children is guns. That is a lie!
The truth can be found here: crimeresearch.org/2023/07/at-real-clear-politics-guns-are-not-the-leading-cause-of-childrens-deaths/
I was disappointed that Vance did not fact check her. Other than that, I thought he did a great job!
Vance did well to put forth a magnanimous demeanor toward pitiful Timmy. It was a classic (D) act when the silly biddies cut Vance’s mic so he couldn’t “Fact check” them.
I was very impressed with JD Vance. (I have been even while he was not Trumps running mate). This young man is smart and a straight shooter. Trump was so smart in picking him. This man can be the next President after Trumps 4 yr term. Smart huh? That was my thought when he picked him. I look at the democrats choices and see the communist from California. Only really smart guy they have is Shapiro and they won’t choose him because he is a Jewish man, which is an awful reason…he needs to come to the Republican party where people would like his intelligence. He would have to make some policy changes but surly he could figure out what is going on. God bless the USA
Vance was amazing on debate stage. I am so proud of him. He defended President Trump who Tim was trying to beat so hard but failed miserably. Yesterday we saw what smart, intelligent, and absolutely brilliant kind man is.
As much as the moderators tried to make walz look good,they failed.Timmy was about like a fart upwind,useless,just like kammy,can we trust AMERICA’S future to these two goonies,I think not.AMERICA’S citizens need to think about AMERICAS future.With the democRATS it doesn’t look good.
I was waiting for walz to tell us that he and his wife honeymoon in china.
If brains were available to persons of the left … Well first, Kamala would be a distant memory … but say they still want a female President. Any kind of brain would suggest that the VP is likely to be up for the office if the President dies, or leaves office in 4 years. Walz is the same old thing … likely a communist, a pedophile, pervert … old, and just down right weird. JD Vance, is youth, well spoken, bright, and above all an American with American values … we all should be looking at 2028 with our presidential pick … and Walz is a step or two steps behind kamala (if that is possible).
i suppose those of you who are weak and timid will see vance as a bully now and vote for the dumb as crap losers. please if you want to be slaves or butched by America’s enemies go where that is done. do not bring it to the streets of America, your family,kids and grandparents live on those streets and your wish will cause your kin their demise. try to think just a little bet about what you will do to your kinfolk. the hardship and pain they will suffer because of your stupidity. vote trump and let the USA rock on for another decade or 2.
Walz did better than I expected him to, but that wasn’t good enough. He looked disheveled and nervous. Vance on the other hand was cool as a cucumber, and refreshingly enough, answered every question, as apposed to Walz, who dodged them.
Elephant on the debate stage: Walz claims his son witnessed a shooting at a community center. The only reference I found was on in St. Paul where a rec center employee shot a 16-year old; none mentioned the son of a sitting Minnesota Governor being there! So. My question is: is this yet ANOTHER “knuckleheaded, misspoken grammar” to bolster Walz sense of relevancy or did it really happen? Perhaps the CBS moderators could fact check this…
Typical democrat lies and mistruths from the chinese sympathizer. I am tired of their lies and them dodging the press and interviews. At least a REAL interview, right?? I hope there is room for all 3 of them in crooked joes basement….hunter might be there also counting his chinese money.
The only “good” reasons for Harris to have picked Walz is A. She needs Shapiro to conceal election fraud in Pennsylvania or B. The CCP told her to pick their long time friend Tim!
Other missed opportunities for Vance: 1, Harris’ unlike-ability as demonstrated by her consistently high staff turnover. 2, Harris deciding votes that led massive inflation. 3, Her bailing out of rioters even exceeded Walz’ decision to let his own city burn.
Debate was J. D. Vance vs . Elmer Fudd …. Whats up Doc ? Timmy is a idiot . And remember there were numerous times the VP became the President .
If anyone is interested in extra backgrounds of Walz and this election –
rumble.com/v5h7cga-webinar-maoist-makeover-magic-weapons-xi-and-friends-use-against-us.html
Had to laugh at the moderators. Had to bring up Trump over his 2020 election challenge. Only FOUR years ago.
Vance didnt play the Game thats why HE Won
Photo finish?….voter fraud “could make all the difference”
Why Why do our candidates hold back on securing the border?
May 25 2023 HR2 was introduced and sent to the Senate. Senate Speaker Chuck Shumer shelved the bill. It did not see the light of day.
Without going into details, this bill seemed to solve the problem of border security. Not much was mentioned about the bill.
In February of 2024 a supposedly bipartisan border bill was introduced. This was a bundle of spending that should have been separate bills so things will be more transparent.
Again, without going into detail, the bill was shelved, this time by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
As an interested citizen of the United States of America, I would like these bills to be debated openly to the American People.
Our representatives seen to forget that the citizens of the United States should have knowledge about what they are proposing so they can determine if it good for the country.
Most citizens do not have time to sit and watch one of our representatives talk to a mostly empty congress. How does this work?
And a big question I have is what the hell are all the missing congressmen and women doing while things are being discussed on the congress floor?????? What are they being paid for????