Takeaway from the Vance-Walz U.S. vice presidential debate

By James Oliphant and Gram Slattery

(Reuters) – U.S. Senator JD Vance, Republican Donald Trump’s pick as his vice presidential running mate, squared off against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who Democrat Kamala Harris tapped to be her No. 2, in a nationally televised debate on Tuesday.

The debate is likely the final one of the 2024 presidential campaign, potentially giving it some additional weight ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

Here is an early takeaway from the event in New York:

BOB AND WEAVE AT THE OPENING BELL

The first question of the debate related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, asking both men if they would support a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran to disrupt the development of the latter’s nuclear program.

Neither candidate was eager to answer.

A visibly nervous Walz dodged the question, pivoting to a critique of Trump’s record during his four years in office.

“What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter,” Walz said. “It’s clear, and the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago, a nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment.”

Vance appeared to rib Walz for not addressing the question head on, but then segued into a description of his biography.

“My mother required food assistance for periods of her life,” said Vance, who grew up in a working-class Ohio household.

Vance did eventually circle back to the question, saying a second Trump administration would support Israel’s decision on the matter. But not before he offered an extended defense of Trump’s foreign policy, characterizing his time in office as extraordinarily peaceful.

In the opening exchange, at least, the candidates were less eager to dive into policy details than they were in litigating Trump’s legacy and introducing themselves to Americans.

(Reporting by James Oliphant and Gram Slattery; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Daniel Wallis)