In the duel of the vice candidates today, the down-to-earth Tim Walz is competing against JD Vance, the “understander of the forgotten”. This debate is the last big moment to win over undecided voters before the election.
Bastian Brauns reports from Washington
Both come from the heart of America, the Midwest. And both want to be the next Vice President of the United States. The first and only TV duel between James David “JD” Vance and Tim Walz this Tuesday evening (local time) will be more than just a sideshow between two representatives.
With JD Vance, the Republican Senator from Ohio, and Tim Walz, the Democratic Governor of Minnesota, two men who could hardly be more different meet. They not only stand for their parties and their candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, but also for two completely contradictory ideas about America’s future.
It’s not just voters from the Midwest, who are traditionally seen as crucial to the outcome of the election, who will be watching closely. But possibly also the many people in the swing states that are still undecided.
Fewer Americans will probably tune in than at the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris last month. But even in the traditional vice-presidential debate of this crucial election in the USA, people don’t just watch the duel in their living rooms. While Walz and Vance fight for voters’ favor at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, many viewers will watch the exchange over beer and chicken wings in numerous bars across the country.
Read more about the rules of the duel here.
JD Vance, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, is still relatively new to the political scene. But he is already one of the politicians who are probably causing the greatest controversy. JD Vance originally gained fame through his book “Hillbilly Elegy”. A work that takes a dark look at life in America’s rural areas and is seen by many as an important attempt to explain the anger of the white working class that Donald Trump brought to the White House in 2016. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also once read this book.
“Hillbilly Elegy” made Vance a star. And the Trump campaign is trying to build on that success of Vance as the “understander of the forgotten.” A campaign spot published on the day of the vice-candidate debate is intended to reinforce this strategy.
In fact, Vance has long been part of America’s rich upper class. As a politician, he is primarily known for his culture-warring statements. Most recently, he received intense criticism for his derogatory comments about “childless cat women” that would jeopardize America’s future. Vance also fantasized about whether Americans who have children should also have more voting rights.
Particularly problematic recently were his racist false claims that Haitian migrants in the city of Springfield, in his home state of Ohio, were eating pets – a lie that was vehemently denied by local authorities. Vance himself even admitted in a recent interview that he would “create stories” to gain media attention, which earned him further criticism. (Read more about this here)
video | Trump’s running mate Vance irritates with his wit during his appearance
