Clash of Visions: Walz and Vance Lock Horns in High-Stakes VP Debate

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance debated over policy disagreements in a vice presidential debate. Topics included the Middle East crisis, immigration, and economic issues. While cordial, they critiqued their rivals, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The debate, held at CBS Broadcast Center, highlighted contrasting views.

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance clashed over the Middle East crisis, immigration, taxes, abortion, climate change, and the economy on Tuesday at a vice presidential debate that was heavy on policy disagreements but light on personal attacks. The two rivals, who have savaged each other on the campaign trail, struck a cordial tone, instead saving their fire for the candidates at the top of their tickets, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

Vance questioned why Harris had not done more to address inflation, immigration, and the economy while serving in President Joe Biden's administration, mounting a consistent attack line that Trump often failed to deliver while debating Harris last month. "If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle-class problems, then she ought to do them now - not when asking for promotion, but in the job the American people gave her 3-1/2 years ago," Vance said.

Walz described Trump as an unstable leader who had prioritized billionaires and turned Vance's criticism on its head on the issue of immigration, attacking Trump for pressuring Republicans in Congress to abandon a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year. "Most of us want to solve this," Walz said of immigration. "Donald Trump had four years to do this, and he promised you, Americans, how easy it will be."

(With inputs from agencies.)