Democratic and Republican US vice-presidential candidates Tim Walz and J.D. Vance discussed the war in the Middle East and the mutual strikes between Israel and Iran during a debate on CBS News.
Running mates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump kicked off the debate with a handshake. Initially, they discussed US domestic issues, including Hurricane Helene, which hit the southeastern states. Next, Walz and Vance voiced their stance on the conflict in the Middle East.
J.D. Vance said it was up to Israel to decide whether to strike Iran. He also added:
“It is up to Israel what they think they need to keep their country safe, and we should support our allies wherever they are when they’re fighting the bad guys.”
At the same time, Mr Vance’s rival Tim Walz criticised Donald Trump when asked if he would approve of an Israeli strike on Iran. He pointed out:
“Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership.”
Journalist Tucker Carlson, commenting on the televised debate, said that the future of the Republican Party is Vance:
“The most obvious conclusion after this debate is that the future of the Republican Party is James David Vance. That’s what the future looks like. That’s what the direction the party is headed looks like.”
The journalist believes that Walz, a Democrat, did not handle the debate well and “performed as poorly as he could have.” Carlson is convinced that contender for the state’s highest office, Kamala Harris, will “regret her choice” of running mate after tonight’s debate.
Debate was “fairly friendly”
NBC News noted that overall, the debate was fairly friendly. The politicians were careful not to attack each other, but rather criticised the presidential candidates. The New York Times believed that at the beginning of the debate Walz was not very confident, but then corrected himself.
The debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris took place on September 10 on ABC News. After that, the Republican refused to have a second verbal duel with the Democratic representative. According to the latest AP-NORC poll, Mr. Walz’s approval rating among registered voters is 42%, while Mr. Vance’s candidacy is supported by 27% of respondents. The US presidential election will be held on November 5.
