Soft-spoken is not a word that’s typically associated with former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
After Tuesday night, it may well be. Senator JD Vance appeared cool, calm and collected as he took the stage against a seemingly nervous Governor Tim Walz at the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election.
Fighting back against the picture that the Harris-Walz campaign has painted of him, Trump’s running mate offered a polite and friendly performance devoid of personal attacks against his opponent. Vance’s affable and crisp delivery came in stark contrast to the temperament that most voters know Trump for: aggressive, uncongenial and erratic.
“Vance definitely improved his public image in this debate and proved himself to be a superior debater,” political pundit Steve Schier told Newsweek. “It was the best candidate debate performance of 2024.”
GOP strategist Matt Klink said Vance’s performance was “solid and polished,” while political consultant Alex Patton called the senator “a better debater and communicator than Trump.”
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On Tuesday, Vance deftly dodged a question about the January 6 Capitol attack (answering, “On January 6, what happened? Joe Biden became president; Donald Trump left the White House”) and revised Trump’s history with the Affordable Care Act, claiming that the former president salvaged the Obama-era law when Trump unsuccessfully sought to repeal it while in office.
Vance also managed to compassionately approach one of his political weaknesses—abortion rights—marking out a clearer position than Trump has and making the case to the audience that just as diverse as the U.S. is, each state has a different viewpoint on the issue.
After admitting that Americans “frankly, just don’t trust [Republicans]” on the issue of abortion, Vance argued that, “We can be a big and diverse country where we respect people’s freedom of conscience and make the country more pro-baby and pro-family.”
“JD Vance was more effective in presenting a version of his party’s ticket that might broaden its appeal,” Binyamin Appelbaum, a New York Times writer and member of its editorial board, said. “He made Trumpism sound polite, calm and coherent.”
The Ohio Republican even shared a touching moment with Walz, one that seemed unfathomable at last month’s presidential debate, where Vice President Kamala Harris had to walk over to Trump’s podium for a handshake. After Walz shared a personal story, recalling that his son witnessed a shooting at a recreation center, Vance responded, “Tim, first of all, I didn’t know that your 17-year-old witnessed a shooting. And I’m sorry about that, and I just want to say, Christ, have mercy. It is—it is awful.”
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Even though Vance’s demeanor is likely to give voters another thing to consider, vice presidential debates have historically done very little to influence the outcome of an election. But experts say even the slightest edge could be seismic in an election this close.
“What matters is voter views on the top of the ticket, in this case, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris,” Klink told Newsweek. “This debate may have a marginal impact on voters—but in the 2024 election, this marginal impact may make the difference between victory or defeat.”
“Every act or engagement carries added meaning in an election where roughly 100,000 votes in seven states will determine who wins and loses,” he said. “JD Vance accomplished what he set out to do last night: make himself relatable to the American voters and drive home the stark differences between the Trump-Vance ticket when compared to Harris-Walz.”
Schier added, “If there are any effects on the presidential race, it will be because the choice of Walz raises questions about Harris’ judgment and the choice of Vance may quell some doubts about Trump’s temperament.”
What Have Trump’s Advisers Said About Vance’s VP performance?
Trump is “absolutely thrilled” with Vance’s debate performance, according to campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez.
“It is very clear that JD Vance was able to articulate the message of the Trump-Vance ticket, was able to remind voters of the prosperous four years when President Donald J. Trump was in the White House and was able to take Tim Walz to task on Kamala Harris’ failed three-and-a-half years,” Alvarez told Fox News after the debate, praising Vance’s performance as “incredible.”
“The president was thrilled, and I think the American people know the choice between them,” she said.
The former president himself commended Vance for a “GREAT JOB” on Tuesday night, writing on Truth Social during the debate that his running mate “crushed it.”
“It just reconfirmed my choice,” Trump told Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning. “There was a brilliance to what he did.”
Who Won the Debate?
It will take a few days before more reliable data determines the winner of Tuesday night’s debate, but early polls show that voters seem split on who won.
A flash CBS/YouGov poll of 1,630 voters showed that 42 percent thought Vance won, while 41 percent backed Walz. Another 17 percent said it was a tie.
Vance won on the economy (51 percent) and immigration (52 percent), while Walz won on abortion (62 percent) and health care (59 percent). They tied on the conflict in the Middle East (50 percent).
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The survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percent.
“It was clear that Vance’s performance also was with an eye on the years to come—post-Trump,” Patton told Newsweek.
“The impact will more likely be in the dynamic between Trump and Vance, and for what’s next if Trump/Vance does not win,” he said, adding that Vance’s performance also “broke the cardinal rule of power in the Trump era—’Never outshine the master.'”
Other experts echoed Patton’s comments, like Peter Wehner, who told the Times, “Vance’s excellent reviews will enrage Trump.”
Wehner, who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, said, “Vance—because he was quite good and Trump was so awful—must have had MAGA Republicans all over the country admit, if only to themselves, that Trump is not just flawed but deranged.”
“After tonight, Donald Trump needs to speak less and let JD Vance speak more. Vance’s weakest moments tonight have been in trying to defend Trump,” Frank Luntz, a political consultant and pollster who has worked for Republican candidates, agreed.
