The US vice-presidential debate traditionally has little impact on the White House race, but with a tight race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, the stakes were higher than usual in New York on Tuesday.
Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance and Harris’ VP-elect Tim Walz both scored points in their only contests, though the primary goal was always to avoid hurting their running mates’ chances.
Here are five takeaways from the debate.
new faces
Walz, who was virtually unknown on the national stage before the summer, had set expectations low—comparing Vance’s academic record as a “Yale law man” and his own humble status as a “public school teacher.” .
He started off poorly but as he eased into the conversation, he improved. Famously affable, Walz occasionally tried to weave folk tales, but he often came across as defensive, abandoning his trademark Midwestern charm.
Vance, known for his oratory, was under pressure to make up for Trump’s disappointing debate performance last month, when Harris defeated him soundly.
Trump missed opportunities to attack Harris on immigration and inflation — failing to portray her as an incumbent — but Vance was able to score points where her boss failed.
Both candidates tackled policy specifics — the Middle East, climate change, the economy or the fentanyl crisis — which made for a more ridiculous debate than the Trump-Harris confrontation.
Strange
Walz was forced to explain away claims that he was in Hong Kong for a teaching post during the deadly Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989.
Calling himself a “knucklehead,” the governor said, “I went out there that summer and talked about the wrong thing that would happen in the rhetoric.”
Vance, who before becoming a supporter had called Trump “unfit for our nation’s highest office” and once said Trump “could be America’s Hitler” – was challenged over his remarks.
He said that he has been deceived by false stories in the media and he is wrong.
a proxy war
The real contest was between Harris and Trump, with his two stand-ins focusing their sharp attacks on the contest at the top of the ticket.
The Minnesota governor came after Trump for ignoring the advice of scientists and economists.
He said, “If you’re going to be president, you don’t have to have all the answers. Donald Trump believes he has the answers.”
He attacked Trump for boasting about avoiding taxes and urging Republicans to vote against a tough bipartisan border security bill.
Vance criticized Harris on immigration and accused her of raising prices, especially the cost of housing, by allowing millions of immigrants into the country.
Fact check, mic cut off
The fact-checking debate has created an unusual controversy during this election cycle.
CBS said it would refuse to refute Whoppers live on air, but instead directed viewers to a blog offering fact-checking in real time.
Vance had a few on-air fact-checks – one on man-made climate change and another on the legal status of some immigrants.
This made Vance angry and he started pushing back. Both of the candidates’ mics were briefly muted as they began a rare heated back-and-forth.
a gentle tone
But, without the bombastic former president, the proceedings were much like the election debates that preceded the Trump era: policy-focused, lacking personal attacks and a veil of apparent civility.
There was even a tender, human moment when Walz told the shocking story of his 17-year-old son, Gus, witnessing a shooting at a community center.
Vance decided to reach out to Walz to express his sympathy.
The candidates mentioned their families on more than one occasion, with Vance talking about his “three beautiful little children”.
Walz and Vance shook hands at the beginning and again at the end of the debate when their wives joined them on stage.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)