Home HomeSwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

The Last Debate Before the Election – The Vice Candidates Meet

One is behind the Democrats' favorite phrase about the opposing side: "knäppt" (weird). The other has defended the viral hoax about migrants' eating habits. Now, the vice presidential candidates in the USA, Tim Walz and JD Vance, meet in a TV debate.

» Published: 01 October 2024

The Last Debate Before the Election – The Vice Candidates Meet
Photo: AP/TT

The big difference between conservatives and liberals is that no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in recent months, and two people have now tried to kill Donald Trump.

The outburst from Republican JD Vance at a dinner in Georgia recently met with strong reactions in the media and criticism from the White House.

It testifies that the Ohio governor takes his assignment as attack dog seriously, something that has also led him to call the Democratic presidential candidate Harris "dangerous" and "radical liberal". And he has not backed down from his earlier description of Harris as part of "a gang of childless cat ladies".

Creepy and crazy?

Vance has also defended his boss Donald Trump's claim that Haitian migrants in a city in Ohio eat pets, as a way to get the media to focus on the migration issue. The question is what attacks he has up his sleeve ahead of the TV debate against Tim Walz, who is often described as the embodiment of normality.

But Walz – who has a background as a geography teacher, football coach, and congressman – has tried to score points by calling the Trump camp "creepy and crazy as hell".

And he has not hesitated to attack his opponent.

Like all ordinary people I grew up with in the countryside, JD studied at (elite school) Yale, made a career with the help of billionaires from Silicon Valley, and then wrote a best-selling book where he trashed them (the billionaires), said Walz ironically at the Democratic convention.

Come on. That's not what Middle America is about, he added with a reference to life in the American heartland.

Nervous

The TV debate is arranged by CBS and broadcast from its studio in New York during the night to Wednesday Swedish time, without an audience present.

Tim Walz, who has admitted to US media that he is nervous, has prepared himself at home in Minnesota, where Transportation Minister Pete Buttigieg played Vance, reports The New York Times.

JD Vance has also gone home to recharge. In Ohio, Minnesota Republican and Congressman Tom Emmer played the opponent in practice debates.

We will focus on a concise and direct appeal to the American people to see Donald Trump's successful policy and Kamala Harris' failed, says Vance according to CNN about his strategy.

Fresh opinion polls show that over 40 percent of Americans have a positive image of Walz, compared to 36 percent for Vance.

The debate is likely the last before the presidential election in November and thus a crucial opportunity to broadly influence middle voters. Kamala Harris has challenged Donald Trump to another TV duel on October 23, but he has said no.

Tina Magnergård Bjers/TT

Facts: Tim Walz

TTTT

The 60-year-old Democrat Tim Walz was born in Nebraska and calls himself "coach". He has a background as a geography teacher, football coach, congressman, and national guard member.

He has been the Governor of Minnesota since 2019. As such, he has introduced progressive reforms such as free school lunch, parental leave, and stricter gun laws, and strengthened abortion rights.

His wife Gwen is also a teacher, and the couple has two children.

After he was appointed as Kamala Harris' vice president, an interview Walz did in 2018 where he said he had carried a gun "in war" went viral. The statement was quickly dismissed as a mistake, as Walz took leave shortly before his unit was sent to Iraq in 2004. Donald Trump's campaign has, however, called him a liar.

James David Vance, originally Bowman, was born in Ohio in 1984.

In the book "Hillbilly – a family and culture in crisis" (2016), he describes his upbringing in white working-class as poor and troubled with a mother who struggled with addiction.

At 19, he enlisted and served during the Iraq War, but not in combat. He then studied political science and philosophy at Ohio State University and law at top university Yale. Worked at a law firm and as a venture capitalist in California.

Married to Usha Vance, whose parents immigrated from India. The couple has three children.

Earlier, JD Vance was a sharp critic of Donald Trump, but he made a complete turnaround around 2020. Vance was elected as a Republican senator for Ohio in 2022. In July 2024, he was appointed as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

Places
People
Organisations
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Australia: Police Officer Investigated for Nazi Salute
1 MIN READ

Australia: Police Officer Investigated for Nazi Salute

Finland sought Trump's support for NATO membership
2 MIN READ

Finland sought Trump's support for NATO membership

New Evacuation Order for Northern Gaza
1 MIN READ

New Evacuation Order for Northern Gaza

Harris publishes health report ahead of election
1 MIN READ

Harris publishes health report ahead of election

Ukraine: Fire After Drone Attack on Oil Depot
1 MIN READ

Ukraine: Fire After Drone Attack on Oil Depot

Trump: USA "Occupied" by Criminal Foreigners
1 MIN READ

Trump: USA "Occupied" by Criminal Foreigners

Fat Bear Week: Not Just Fat Bears in Alaska
2 MIN READ

Fat Bear Week: Not Just Fat Bears in Alaska

Norwegian Diplomats Leave Beirut
1 MIN READ

Norwegian Diplomats Leave Beirut

Navalny in new book: Will die in prison
1 MIN READ

Navalny in new book: Will die in prison

UN Soldiers in the Line of Fire as Israel Invades
3 MIN READ

UN Soldiers in the Line of Fire as Israel Invades

USA: Hezbollah must not stand in the way
1 MIN READ

USA: Hezbollah must not stand in the way

The Mystery Clears Up – Foot Found on Mount Everest
2 MIN READ

The Mystery Clears Up – Foot Found on Mount Everest

Hezbollah: Robots against Israel's base in Haifa
1 MIN READ

Hezbollah: Robots against Israel's base in Haifa

Biden: Multi-billion dollar damages after Hurricane Milton
1 MIN READ

Biden: Multi-billion dollar damages after Hurricane Milton

Military Ties Established between Turkey and Serbia
1 MIN READ

Military Ties Established between Turkey and Serbia

Trump Requests Military Jets - Fear of Assassination Attempt
1 MIN READ

Trump Requests Military Jets - Fear of Assassination Attempt

Stoltenberg writes book about NATO period
1 MIN READ

Stoltenberg writes book about NATO period

Multiple deaths in unrest in South Sudan
1 MIN READ

Multiple deaths in unrest in South Sudan

Ukrainian journalist dies in Russian captivity
1 MIN READ

Ukrainian journalist dies in Russian captivity

Criticism of EU for Turkish deportations
1 MIN READ

Criticism of EU for Turkish deportations