WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Governor Walz “Won the Debate” Against Vance’s “Smarmy Lying” and “Comically Disingenuous Evasions”
Tonight, Americans saw a real contrast between a leader who cares about the issues that matter most to the American people and a slick politician who spent the whole night defending Donald Trump’s division and failures – from Trump’s “concepts of a plan” to rip away health care from millions of Americans to the most damning moment of the night: when Vance made clear he’d put Trump ahead of the country.
Across the board, pundits, reporters, and Republican and Democratic politicians alike panned JD Vance’s “smarmy” and “disingenuous” performance. Take a look at what they’re saying:
On The Airwaves:
On CNN’s Special Coverage, Alyssa Farah Griffin: “If there's a moment from tonight that turns into an ad that's effective, I think it's that January 6 moment ... And I think, if we take – we know that, listen, democracy is not one, usually, one of the top five issues. It's the border, it's the economy, it's inflation. But we do know from the 2022 midterms that people are sick and tired of people lying about elections and engaging in this election denialism. It is just not popular with the public. They see it as dishonest. That's something that I actually think is a moment that's very effective.”
On CNN’s Special Coverage, Undecided Michigan Voter: “I’m going to be voting for Kamala Harris. You know, one of the stark, sort of, aspects of that debate that really stuck with me was when they were talking about January 6 and how Mike Pence certified the election, and they were wondering if JD Vance would certify the election should Trump lose. And, you know, JD Vance didn’t really give us a definitive answer. And I– I’m disappointed in that fact. And I don’t think that I can trust someone, you know, with my vote if they’re not going to respect it.”
On CNN’s Debate Night in America, David Axelrod: “It was made more powerful when [Governor Walz] turned to Vance and said… ‘Did he lose the election?’ and Vance wouldn't answer the question. I thought that was damning.”
On CNN’s Special Coverage, Abby Phillip: “That moment, I think, was embarrassing, first of all, for JD Vance. And that went a long way after 90 minutes of Vance really trying to seem a lot more likable, seem a lot more straightforward, a lot more relatable. In that moment, he seemed like a politician, like a politician who wanted to do one thing, which is to please Donald Trump.”
On CNN’s Special Coverage, Undecided Michigan Voter: “The one thing that stuck out to me was Vance’s refusal to say whether or not Trump lost the 2020 election. And then also, how he kind of said that carbon may not cause climate change. It kind of just - his refusal to agree with those things that most people very clearly see makes me think he is not as trustworthy.”
On NBC News’ Special Coverage, Undecided Pennsylvania Voter: “It sounded like [JD Vance] was saying things people wanted to hear. He sounds like he was trying to be more human. It does not necessarily align to what he said before in my opinion… Vance did nothing. He did not answer the question for me. And made a lot of connections that weren't really, they weren't really there for me.”
On MSNBC’s Special Coverage, Joy Reid: “[Gov. Walz] won the debate because he actually had substance and he was relatable and he did not go in there to slay JD Vance, he went in there to show himself and he showed himself to be bipartisan. He showed himself to be reasonable, he showed himself to be practical. He acted as a governor and a lot of people are complaining he didn’t knock JD Vance out, or that he wasn’t rhetorically cruel, but that was not his job. It was obvious his job was to sell Kamala Harris as president. He did that very well. He won the debate.”
On BBC News’ Special Coverage, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett: “I was really excited to see the coach really show the world who he really is, which is a compassionate, thoughtful, really strong leader. You know, this is someone who was able to elaborate not only on what it is that he wants to do, but what it is that he's been able to do. He was able to come with facts and numbers about how his policies have worked to a net positive in his state.”
On NewsNation’s, Special Coverage, Senator Mark Kelly: “[Gov. Walz] did great. I mean, really fantastic. He's very plainspoken. I think he spoke to the American people in a way that they will understand. And then finally, I would say in perhaps the 90th minute of this debate, you know, what we saw from JD Vance says that he cannot even today cannot stand up for our democratic values and principles. He couldn't even say and give an answer to whether or not Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the last election and it makes me rather concerned about whether we could find ourselves in a situation again where we have a challenge in certifying the election and you know, what could happen in the days that follow.”
On CNN’s Special Coverage, Senator Amy Klobuchar: “The Tim Walz that you have seen from the very beginning of this presidential campaign when he burst on the national stage is the Tim Walz that you're going to get. It's someone that you can trust. It's someone that's plainspoken. He doesn't use a lot of fancy words. He's not messing around playing games up there in the debate stage and pretending I'm all with you, with my heart and then supports policies that have nothing to do with what you just said. He is what he is, and I think that's what's going to come across to the American people. That's what came across today.”
On C-SPAN, Governor Jared Polis: “JD Vance did not distance himself from Donald Trump. So there's no one there to stand up to Donald Trump's worst instincts and potentially a threat to our democracy itself. Tim Walz brought that home on issues that matter to the American people. Saving people money on groceries, on costs, on health care, on housing, on issue after issue. Tim Walz put out his detailed plans with Kamala Harris. JD Vance tried to imitate those plans, but he didn’t really speak to his boss because many of that stuff is not what Donald Trump stands for.”
On MSNBC’s Special Coverage, Governor JB Pritzker: “If you look back at the rest, what you will see is a slick debater in JD Vance who consistently could not answer a question. He just kept shifting, shifting, shifting… You know what you heard from Tim Walz? It was a guy that you can trust, that lives down the street from you, the coach you had in high school that you trusted, the teacher you could confide in. And he just, he spoke in a way that I think everyday Americans, you know, the working families of America really understand.”
On Social Media:
Stuart Stevens: How humiliating must it be for J.D. Vance that he can’t admit America has a legal election or his boss will fire him.
Michael Sozan, Senior Fellow at Center for American Progress: Walz doing a good job weaving values into his answers...fundamental, common-sense things that Americans across the ideological spectrum agree on. Example, strengthening families, bringing stability to people's lives, starting small business.
All important for a strong democracy.
Ramesh Ponnuru: I don't think Vance's claim that Trump saved Obamacare can be sustained.
PolitiFact: No, Trump did not "salvage" the Affordable Care Act. Vance's claim is False.
Jen Psaki: More Walz talking directly to people at home —-like it
Simon Rosenberg: JD's Vance answer on climate change is one of the craziest things I've ever heard.
Stuart Stevens: J.D. Vance just said that he would not certify election. Nothing else really matters.
Todd Schulte: Senator Vance, following Trump’s lead, dodging the *same* question asked in 3 debates*… They lie about immigrants and are absolutely are *completely terrified* to talk about not just resuming family separation & expanding it to millions of families across the US.
WONT ANSWER!
Jill Filipovic: JD Vance still saying "if you believe" in climate change. It's 2024. There was just a giant hurricane that leveled an entire US region, made worse because of a changed climate. A man who can't even identify a humanity-ending problem is not a man who should be in charge.
Tara Palmeri: "That is a very damning non-answer" might be one of the best lines of the debate.
Roger Sollenberger: JD Vance and the Trump campaign had two weeks to prep a coherent healthcare proposal and try to salvage Trump’s “concepts of a plan,” and then he had two chances to explain it tonight. Still nothing.
AFT President Randi Weingarten: Thank you Tim Walz for calling out JD Vance's lies about immigrants in Springfield. Those lies have led to bomb threats in schools and have upended the community. It's shameful that Vance spread those lies. #VPdebate2024 #AFTvotes
Christina Reynolds: Good point on foreign policy from Walz: the people who worked closely with Trump as president on these issues do not think he is fit to have the job one more time.
Jennifer Rubin: fabulous point that rights aren't determined by geography
Bill Scher: Vance has the mansplainer’s ability to sound like a total know-it-all when saying complete nonsense
Greg Sargent: JD Vance's position is completely ridiculous: He rhapsodizes about Midwest industrial work, but the Trump-Vance threat to repeal the Biden-Harris climate agenda would destroy untold numbers of manufacturing jobs of the future
Hugely important that Walz talked about those jobs
Azi Paybarah: Vance doesn’t say whether he agrees with Trump who said climate change is “a hoax”
Kyle Griffin: JD Vance refused to answer an immigration question about whether a second Trump admin would separate children from their parents.
Tim Miller: Here comes the part where the Yale educated NYT best seller says he was fooled about Donald Trump by unnamed fake news journalists.
Josh Kraushaar: Strongest moment for Walz at debate is over Jan. 6.
President of Reproductive Rights for All Mini Timmaraju: Governor Walz just did something very masterful. He appealed to Vance directly- saying he believes he wants to solve the border crisis but by standing with Trump he can’t. Calling back to Vance’s earlier disdain of Trump. “JD come back from the dark side” but not clear he can.
Greg Bluestein: “That is a damning non-answer.” Vance won’t say whether Biden won the 2020 election, saying he’s focused on 2024 — and claims Democrats back “censorship.”
Walz counters that voters have a choice between “who is going to honor democracy - and who is going to honor Donald Trump”
Andrew Egger: "I agree with a lot of what Sen. Vance was saying. His running mate, though, does not. And that's the problem." --best line of the night so far from Walz IMO
Mary Trump: Tim Walz just summarized the Trump/Vance platform in one line: "This is what happens when you don't want to solve it, you demonize it."
Brian Krassenstein: GOTCHA! Tim Walz just used Vance’s own words against Trump against him on the border. Brilliant.
Andrew Desiderio: Wow. Vance just said Americans don’t trust Republicans on abortion. He said Republicans have to “earn back the trust of the American people on this”
Kyle Cheney: Tim Walz's best moment of the night was his last, when he pressed Vance to say Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance's answer that he is "focused on the future" and pivot to censorship was uncomfortable.
Vance's revisionism on Trump's Jan. 6 actions was also strained.
Karen Tumulty: Walz on Jan. 6 is his best answer yet.
Hugo Lowell: JD Vance’s answer to gun violence is we need stronger doors and windows ???
John Bresnahan: Walz gave a good answer on guns
Chris Hayes: Walz answer on healthcare probably his best yet.
Christopher Hale: Tim Walz's best 90 seconds tonight was his answer on health care.
Don Shafer: JD Vance's strategy in this debate seems to be pretending that Donald Trump's presidency was something entirely different from the one we all experienced.
Brendan Duke: Vance blames high housing prices on energy costs, but Trump’s idea of a 20% tax on imported goods would raise the price of gas 30 cents a gallon.
Bill Scher: Takes a lot of chutzpah for Vance to credit Trump with salvaging the health care law that in reality he tried to destroy
Michael Thomas: I’d trust the Governor of Minnesota on housing.
David Axelrod: Vance also rewriting history of 1/6.
Joey Garrison: “That’s why Mike Pence is not on this stage,” Tim Walz says of the former VP fulfilling his duty to certify the electoral votes on Jan. 6. “What I'm concerned about is, where is the firewall with Donald Trump?”
Arthur Delaney: "He peacefully gave over power on Jan 20th," JD Vance says of Donald Trump, gently eliding that massive riot
Matt Canter: Vance won't say if Trump lost election. That's the news here.
Jen Psaki: Good good moment on Walz pushing Vance on 2020 election
Greg Sargent: Walz is absolutely nailing the key point here: Vance would break his oath of office on Trump's behalf and place Trump above the law and the Constitution. Vance CONFIRMED THIS HIMSELF. This is what he actually meant when he confirmed that he would have done what Pence would not.
Keith Boykin: Wow! The most important moment of the debate tonight was JD Vance refusing to admit that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Four years after the election, and Trump's team still won't admit they lost. That's disqualifying.
Christian Datoc: Harris campaign claims that Vance's answer on January 6, which he claimed was "peaceful" and caused by Facebook ads, scored him his lowest rating of the night amid dial focus group battleground undecideds
Hugo Lowell: For JD Vance to say Trump only asked for peaceful protest on Jan. 6 is insane when Trump watched the Capitol attack from the White House and refused to call off the rioters until it was clear the attack to return him to office had failed
DNC Chair Jamie Harrison: When you are complaining about fact checking… it means you are doing a lot of lying. #LyingJD
Pete Buttigieg: Tonight Tim Walz displayed his characteristic decency and passion for making everyday life better for Americans. Even when facing polished falsehoods, he reminded us why the future will be so much better under Kamala Harris’ leadership than a return to the chaos of the Trump era.
Governor Jim McGovern: Watching the debate tonight, & my good friend @Tim_Walz is showing exactly why he's such a strong leader—always standing up for working families. Proud to see him highlight the importance of reproductive healthcare & supporting the middle class. Mind your own damn business JD!
Governor Wes Moore: Tonight @Tim_Walz spoke clearly about @KamalaHarris' and his plan to protect reproductive freedoms, build an opportunity economy, and defend our democracy. JD Vance illustrated a revisionist history that further jeopardizes our freedoms and democracy as we know it. It's clear: Donald Trump and JD Vance's Project 2025 Agenda is not only extreme — it's dangerous. America, we are not going back.
Governor Gavin Newsom: JD Vance just told us to “look at the record” for Trump’s economy. Ok. Donald Trump lost 2.7 million jobs. President @JoeBiden and VP @KamalaHarris have created over 15 million jobs. That’s the record.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer: Michigan remembers what happened under Donald Trump. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost across all industries, including manufacturing. The Biden-Harris administration was critical to bringing jobs back to Michigan. Good for @Tim_Walz for standing up for American workers.
Senator Martin Heinrich: I guess JD Vance hasn’t heard of the Inflation Reduction Act. I’ll help him out: it was the largest investment in American clean energy manufacturing EVER and it was passed by Democrats during the Biden Harris administration.
Senator Mark Kelly: We know Donald Trump and JD Vance’s Project 2025 agenda will raise costs on Arizona families while giving more tax breaks and power to big corporations. @KamalaHarris and @Tim_Walz will lower costs and build an economy that works for all Americans.
Senator Ben Ray Luján: I served with Governor Walz in the U.S. House. He’s a plainspoken, honest man who knows how to win tough races and work across the aisle to get things done.
Senator Ed Markey: Appreciate CBS for making question #2 focus on climate. Whether you’re a farmer, a Green New Dealer, or a young person raising their voice, you know climate change is an existential threat. Trump-Vance is an existential threat to a livable future.
Former Senator Claire McCaskill: He won’t say that Trump lost the election. Damning.
Senator Chris Murphy: The way Vance and Trump lie about tariffs - pretending that foreign countries will write giant checks to the U.S government - is just extraordinary. Trump’s tariff plan is a $4000 tax increase on families.
Senator Patty Murray: Affordable child care and national paid leave aren’t just good for families, they're good for businesses and our entire economy. With Kamala Harris in the White House, we can put working families first and pass legislation to do both.
Senator Alex Padilla: Note to JD Vance: stronger doors are not going to stop the gun violence epidemic. Try universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban.
Senator Tina Smith: Vance just sounds silly — we all know Donald Trump is responsible for the abortion bans that are putting women’s lives at risk, and he can’t talk his way out of it.
Senator Debbie Stabenow: JD Vance says he wants to support IVF but when he had the chance to last month, he didn’t even bother to show up for the vote in the U.S. Senate. Women in this country see through his lies and know that our reproductive freedoms are on the line this election!
Congresswoman Nanette Barragán: Donald Trump’s POLICY was to separate children from their parents at the border. That’s a fact. No spin from JD Vance will change that & the Biden-Harris Admin has worked for years to reunite all of these families. #VPDebate2024
Congressman Ami Bera: Tonight, @Tim_Walz is showing America why he will be an excellent governing partner to @KamalaHarris. I had the honor of serving with Tim in Congress and know he will make our nation proud as VP.
Congressman Sean Casten: JD is doubling down on inciting hatred against his own constituents in Ohio. He is despicable.
Congressman Joaquin Castro: I’m cheering on my friend Tim Walz in the Vice Presidential Debate tonight. We served together in Congress for six years - he’s an earnest, down-to-earth guy who cares about America and our future.
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar: Let’s not forget that Trump told @HouseGOP to shut down the government last week - and many of his lackeys followed orders. Imagine if Trump had gotten his way and shut down the government days before the catastrophic hurricane. Trump can’t be trusted with our government.
Congressman Adriano Espaillat: Thank you @Tim_Walz for reminding the American people that @realDonaldTrump is the sole reason for why we didn't get a border security bill passed. #VPDebate
Congressman Robert Garcia: Governor Walz won the debate when JD Vance wouldn’t admit that Donald Trump lost the last election. It was a disqualifying answer. Truly shameful.
Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan: Way to go Coach! @Tim_Walz showed up tonight to talk about a New Way Forward for America where everyone, everywhere can get ahead. Vance showed us the dystopian future he and Trump are intentionally designing. Move forward together or get dragged backwards–the choice is clear.
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan: Strong close from @Tim_Walz presenting a clear contrast between Trump’s dystopian vision taking America back and @KamalaHarris’ vision of a new way forward building an Opportunity Economy where every American can not just get by, but can get ahead.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley: That’s right, @Tim_Walz. Abortion care IS a human right. While Trump & Vance try to dictate when, how, & whether we grow our families, we'll keep fighting to ensure everyone in America can access the reproductive care they need and deserve.
Congresswoman Hillary Scholten: HEAT 🔥🔥🔥@TimWalz bringing receipts to the debate. We had a bipartisan border deal, and Donald Trump stopped Congress from passing it because he wanted to run on this crisis. We need a president who won’t STOP the bill but SIGN it. Kamala Harris will.
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill: Don't fall for @JDVance ’s cheap talk on abortion. He previously called for a "federal response" for women traveling to get an abortion. He supported a national ban. And their plans to further restrict abortion are in Project 2025.
Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury: JD Vance will not answer the question: will you certify the election. Instead he says Americans should “fight it out” in the public square after being asked about Jan 6. Y’all, democracy is literally on the line this election.
Congresswoman Dina Titus: Instead of securing our Southern Border by voting for the Bipartisan Border Security Bill, JD Vance voted no so he could campaign on the issue. He has no interest in fixing problems.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Tonight Gov. @Tim_Walz clearly shared strong, bold plans to help all Americans get ahead, protect our reproductive freedoms and quality, affordable healthcare and make communities safer. Walz articulated the positive, new path forward that Vice President @KamalaHarris fights for every day. It was a stark contrast to Trump’s failed, risky policies, which JD Vance wasn’t honest about, from ignoring how Trump killed bipartisan immigration reforms and will hand out more billionaire tax breaks, to distorting Trump’s record and his plans to further erode abortion rights. Walz showed why he’s a powerful voice for middle class families who the Harris-Walz team will champion in the White House.
PA State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta: In every answer Coach @Tim_Walz is speaking directly to folks, in a plain spoken way, about serious solutions for the future of our families.
