Vance, Walz debate economics, immigration, abortion in a tight presidential race

By Casey Harper | The Center Square

(Worthy News) – U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz exchanged views on the debate stage Tuesday night in what could potentially be the final debate before Election Day in just five weeks.

CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan hosted the more than 100-minute vice presidential candidates’ debate, where the candidates grappled with the economy, immigration, abortion and the credentials of their respective running mates. According to polls nationally and in swing states, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remain locked in a tight race.

Throughout the debate, Walz repeatedly attacked Trump for many of his controversial comments and Vance emphasized that if Harris could have solved the country’s many problems, she would have already done so since she is currently in the White House.

The debate started with a question about the Middle East. Iran launched a major missile attack on Israel earlier Tuesday, potentially leading to a full-scale war in the region.

Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and has for months supported proxy groups in the region that attack Israel. Israel has systematically destroyed the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a group that has driven out tens of thousands of Israelis by firing into northern Israel.

Israel also continues its ongoing war against Hamas, the terrorist group that killed more than a thousand Israelis in a brutal attack on civilians on October 7.

“Israel’s ability to defend itself is absolutely fundamental,” Walz said before quickly moving to attack Trump.

Vance answered the same question by introducing himself, pointing out his poor upbringing in the Midwest, his military service and his gratitude to the US for helping someone from his humble beginnings.

Vance then focused on attacking the Biden-Harris administration for releasing billions of taxpayer dollars to Iran earlier in their term, pointing out that the October 7 attack took place on Harris’ watch.

“Who has been vice president for the last three and a half years?” Vance asked. “The answer is your running mate, not mine.”

Vance continued by pointing out that Trump is the only president in the past forty years where no major conflict has erupted during his time in office.

The candidates then turned to deadly Hurricane Helene and climate change, with Vance calling for building clean American energy and criticizing Harris for pushing energy production abroad.

The Biden-Harris administration has hampered U.S. energy development, citing climate concerns, while encouraging production abroad, Vance noted.

“If we really care about clean air and clean water, the best we can do is double down on American workers and American energy,” Vance said.

“We have a historic immigration crisis…” Vance said, pointing to 94 executive actions that have “opened the floodgates” to fentanyl and illegal immigrants.

Vance said 25 million illegal immigrants competing for homes in America are one of the biggest drivers of rising housing costs. citing a Federal Reserve Bank study linking immigration to housing affordability.

Immigration consistently appears in the polls as one of the biggest concerns among voters. A CBS poll last month found that a majority of Americans support mass deportations.

When asked specifically about deportations, Vance said the country should start deporting criminal migrants and blasted Harris for hundreds of thousands of separations of children at the fractured border where families have been separated.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported last week that there are more than 660,000 criminal aliens living in the U.S., including those convicted or charged with violent crimes such as murder, assault and kidnapping, The Center Square reported.

ICE’s own inspector general issued a management warning in August that the agency cannot account for hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors who have crossed into the U.S. and whether they are “safe from human trafficking, exploitation or forced labor,” The Center Square reported. .

Walz echoed Harris’ point from the previous presidential debate, saying Democrats supported a border bill earlier this year that Republicans would not pass. The measure failed in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Republicans expressed concern that the bill would not effectively close the border and that it would expand the powers of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year over the border crisis.

At one point in the debate, a moderator contradicted Vance’s stance on Haitian migrants before attempting to move on to another topic. Vance pushed back, saying they had agreed to no fact-checking in the debate, then explained the new CBP One app put in place by the Biden-Harris administration that quickly routed Haitian migrants to the U.S. and Republicans say it’s illegal.

On the economy, Walz attacked the Trump-era tax cuts, and Vance blasted Harris for four decades of high inflation, which has led to prices rising more than 20% since she took the White House.

Walz pushed back, attacking Trump’s “failure on COVID” and saying Trump doesn’t trust economists and climate experts.

“Teachers, nurses, truck drivers or whatever, how is it fair that you pay your taxes and year when Donald Trump hasn’t done so in fifteen years?” Walz asked.

Walz emphasized that he is a “union man” and agreed on the problems with job losses in American manufacturing.

Vance said many “experts” were wrong for years when they advocated shifting jobs overseas. They said this has hurt the middle class and that Trump popularized bringing manufacturing back to the US.

“I was raised by a woman who sometimes incurred medical debt to put food on the table in our household,” Vance said, making it clear he understands Americans’ financial struggles.

Walz was pressed on his previous lie about his presence in Hong Kong during the famous Tiananmen Square protests, something that has been verified as false by previous media reports.

After initially avoiding the question by speaking warmly about his upbringing in a small Nebraska town, Walz, when pressed, admitted that he had “made a mistake.”

Vance was pressured over his previous harsh criticism of Trump. He said he was wrong in this criticism and pointed to Trump’s economic record.

Abortion also remains a major issue in this election, something Democrats have been trying to make this election a defining issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the abortion issue to the United States.

Walz touted helping restore Roe v. Wade protections in Minnesota before attacking abortion policies promoted in Project 2025, a conservative playbook that Trump has repeatedly disavowed.

“We trust women,” Walz said. “We trust doctors.”

Vance said outright that he would not endorse the Project 2025 pregnancy monitoring database.

“I want us as the Republican Party to be pro-family in the fullest sense of the word,” specifically focusing on supporting families with home buying, childcare and fertility treatments.

The debate continued with discussions about gun violence, health care and paid family leave, as well as on Jan. 6, where Walz went after Trump’s entry into the 2020 election.

As of now, there are no more presidential or vice-presidential debates scheduled before Election Day.

Reprinted with permission from The Center Square.

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