Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) faced off for the first time in the 2024 election cycle.
The debate was the first time the two met and featured a much different dynamic than the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. There were notably fewer viral instances this time around than the most recent presidential debate.
However, there were still several memorable moments. Here are some of the biggest zingers of the night:
Vance: “Since you’re fact-checking me”
One of the most contentious aspects of the Trump-Harris ABC debate was the fact-checking by moderators, who fact-checked Trump several times, sometimes on dubious grounds, while never fact-checking Harris.
Though CBS News pledged not to fact-check, the moderators said at the end of the candidates’ answers on the topic of immigration that the Haitians in the town of Springfield, Ohio, were there legally. The apparent fact-check led Vance to forcibly interject.
“Margaret, the rules were that you guys weren’t gonna fact-check, and since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on,” he said.
“So there’s an application called the CBP One app, where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum, or apply for parole and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand. That is not a person coming in, applying for a green card, and waiting for 10 years. That is a continuation of illegal immigration, Margaret, by our own government,” he added.
The exchange resulted in the only muting of a mic throughout the night.
Vance bristled at @margbrennan's clarification about Springfield, Ohio and said "the rules were that you guys weren't going to fact check…" pic.twitter.com/CCJcgXoA1Y
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 2, 2024
Walz: ‘Mind your own business’
In an anticipated move, Walz revived one of his campaign catchphrases — “mind your own business” when talking about abortion.
“I use this line on this: Just mind your own business on this,” Walz said.
“Things worked best when Roe v Wade was in place. When we do a restoration of Roe that works best. That doesn’t preclude us from increasing funding for children,” he added, responding to Vance’s comment that they should craft pro-family policies.
Vance: ‘I think you’ve got a tough job here’
During an exchange on economic policy, Vance disputed Walz’s characterization of Trump’s economic record.
“So what Tim Walz is doing, and I, honestly Tim, I think he got a tough job here because you’ve got to play Whac-A-Mole,” Vance said. “You’ve got to pretend that Donald Trump didn’t deliver rising take-home pay, which, of course, he did. You’ve got to pretend that Donald Trump didn’t deliver lower inflation, which, of course, he did. And then you’ve simultaneously got to defend Kamala Harris’s atrocious economic record, which has made gas, groceries, and housing unaffordable for American citizens.”
Walz: ‘That is a damning nonanswer’
During the final topic, when discussing threats to democracy, Walz pressed Vance on the 2020 election, asking whether he believed that Trump lost the election.
“Tim, I’m focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?” Vance countered.
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“That is a damning non-answer,” Walz responded.
“I’m pretty shocked by this,” the governor added later. “He lost the election. This is not a debate. It’s not anything anywhere other than in Donald Trump’s world. Because look, when Mike Pence made that decision to certify that election, that’s why Mike Pence isn’t on the stage. What I’m concerned about is where is the firewall? With Donald Trump, where is the firewall if he knows he could do anything, including taking an election and his vice president’s not going to stand to it?”
