The vice presidential debate on Tuesday night was staggeringly one-sided.
Sen. JD Vance was poised, calm, friendly, likable, and in control of the facts and himself.
By contrast, Gov. Tim Walz began the debate so nervous it was painful to watch. Then he made a series of mistakes which were cumulatively disqualifying. It was hard to believe he is on a national ticket.
VANCE VS. WALZ DEBATE: TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM VP CANDIDATES’ FACE-OFF
Callista and I went to bed on Tuesday night convinced that Sen. Vance had won a substantial triumph. In that victory, he also vindicated President Donald J. Trump’s gamble in selecting a running mate so early in his career. At 40, with only two years in the U.S. Senate, Vance is only a few months older than Richard Nixon when President Dwight Eisenhower picked him to be the Republican vice presidential nominee in 1952. Nixon would remain a major part of the political scene for 42 years. That would give Sen. Vance a potential role in American government and politics until 2066.
When I got up on Wednesday morning, virtually all the commentaries validated the sense that the debate was something extraordinary.
This new reality was best summarized by Mark Halperin in the Wide World of News newsletter:
“1. One can pretend, as most of the Dominant Media does, that Tim Walz was not ‘clobbered’ by JD Vance, but, as honest Joe Klein (fully credentialed as second-to-none in contempt for Donald Trump and Vance) told the world, Walz was indeed clobbered, so badly that it ‘wasn’t as bad as Biden’s debilitated performance in June, but it was close.’ Remember: Biden’s perf[romance] was so bad it ended his candidacy and career.”
Pollster Frank Luntz tweeted that his focus group voted 12 to 2 that Vance had won.
Glenn Greenwald posted on X: “The most bizarre part of that debate was how Tim Walz repeatedly and flagrantly undercut Dems’ core attack on Trump/Vance: that they’re “weird,” freakish dangers wildly out of the mainstream.
“Everything Walz said treated Vance as a totally normal, reasonable, likable colleague.”
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat posted: “I would rate that the most successful Republican debate performance of this century, eclipsing Romney in the first debate with Obama in 2012.”
Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume had no regard for the performances of moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, saying they were “obnoxious” and made the debate a three-on-one proposition against Vance.
These were just a few. The Trump-Vance campaign collected no fewer than 22 journalists and public figures who agreed that Vance trounced Walz.
Donald Trump Jr. was the third big winner in this debate. He had strongly backed Sen. Vance as a running mate and worked to get his father to pick him. That choice certainly seemed to work out brilliantly.
As Caitlin Doornbos in the NY Post wrote, Gov. Walz’s problems started at the beginning.
“Tim Walz got one chance to make a first impression at Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, and blew it before his opponent, JD Vance, even got the chance to speak.”
His nerves clearly kept him from meeting the challenge.
Finally, Gov. Walz said a couple of things that were just weird.
In a clear moment of confusion, he said he’d become “friends with school shooters.” When asked why he had lied about being at Tiananmen Square during the 1989 suppression and killing of students demonstrating for democracy, Walz ultimately called himself a “knucklehead” for simply saying something that was false.
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Being the “knucklehead candidate” is not a good way to campaign for the last five weeks before the election.
After last night, Sen. Vance is a huge national figure among Republicans and conservatives. He will have much more impact campaigning than he did before the debate.
After Tuesday night, Gov. Walz will be seen by most Americans as someone who is clearly not ready to be president or vice president.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s comment that she was exhausted and sleepless when she picked him will now look like a first step toward minimizing his role – and her ability to make decisions under pressure.
A vindicated President Trump will campaign with more enthusiasm and a greater sense of certainty that he has built a winning ticket.
It was a much bigger night than I expected.