Vice presidential rivals JD Vance and Tim Walz met for their first and probably final debate in New York City on Tuesday night, with the Republican appearing more confident, polished and prepared than his Democratic counterpart, who nevertheless landed some important blows.

In a refreshingly calm contest, the two men kept things civil, opted for policy over personal attacks and even found common ground at times.

Vance delivered a noticeably softer performance than usual and rarely wavered in his responses – even when confronted over his past comments about Trump and his recent lie about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating residents’ pets.

Walz meanwhile struggled to find his footing, appearing nervous and unsure in some of his early answers, but got more comfortable as the 90-minute showdown progressed and did well pressing the Ohio Senator on abortion, January 6 and Trump’s ongoing election denialism.

“The winner needs to be the winner,” the Minnesota Governor declared.

“This has got to stop. It’s tearing our country apart.”

The most heated moment of the night came when the moderators were forced to cut the candidates’ microphones as they sparred over immigration.

Vance also expressed annoyance at being fact-checked.

Key Points

• JD Vance appears more confident than Tim Walz during surprisingly cordial debate

• Watch the VP debate highlights, as chosen by the candidates

• Snap polls after debate reveal what voters think of Vance and Walz’s performances

• Who won the vice presidential debate?

• Where will Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Donald Trump be on Wednesday?

Linsey Davis likens Walz’s debate performance to Biden implosion

13:20 , Joe Sommerlad

MAGA social media is having a field day with this clip of Davis, one of ABC’s moderators in Philadelphia three weeks ago, trashing Tim Walz’s performance last night by comparing it to the night that ended the president’s pursuit of a second term on June 27.

Vance claims he never supported a national abortion ban. Here’s the truth

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Since Trump’s running mate does not appear to enjoy being fact-checked, here’s Rhian Lubin and Alex Woodward to do precisely that.

JD Vance claims he never supported national abortion ban. Here’s the truth

Furious Megyn Kelly drops F-bomb over Vance getting fact-checked

12:40 , Joe Sommerlad

I thought it was the libs who were supposed to be easily triggered?

This was the moment she was so incensed by.

Kaitlan Collins confronts Donald Trump Jr: ‘Vance likened your dad to Hitler’

12:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The CNN correspondent hung Don Jr out to dry in the spin room last night after he attempted to blame the media for the two recent assassination attempts against his father.

Watch: The key moments from last night’s VP debate between Vance and Walz

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a quick recap if you’re just joining us or waking up bleary-eyed in the United States.

Analysis: Vance plays Trump’s anger translator on the debate stage – but he is no less extreme

11:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Also taking in last night’s showdown, Rich Hall writes for Indy Premium:

“It was, at times, wonky – a style that suited Yale graduate Vance more than it did the vibes candidate Walz.

“Vance was more relaxed on the stage. He was most effective when he was plagiarizing entire paragraphs from his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.

“Walz spoke fast. He tried to drag the conversation into his comfort zone by talking about farms as much as possible. He spoke about soybeans, corn, and topsoil. He even managed to get in a line about pheasant hunting after football practice.”

Here’s more.

Vance plays Trump’s anger translator on the debate stage – but he is no less extreme

Analysis: It took nearly 90 minutes, but Walz made clear exactly why Trump chose Vance

11:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Let’s take a broader view of this thing.

First up, here’s Andrew Feinberg on Vance proving his worth to the man he once suggested might just be “America’s Hitler”.

It took nearly 90 minutes, but Tim Walz made clear exactly why Trump chose JD Vance

CNN anchors interrupted by dog puppet dressed as Vance’s late grandmother

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

“Oh boy, this is how you know it’s almost 1am,” sighs Dana Bash as co-anchor Jake Tapper introduces Robert Smigel’s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in the early hours of the morning.

Trump needs to ‘speak less’ and pass the mic to Vance, veteran pollster says

10:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican running mate was so good last night, in the opinion of GOP pollster Frank Luntz, he should do all of Trump’s talking for him.

Whether you agree with that assessment or not, one person who certainly will not like it is Donald J Trump himself.

With both sides inevitably claiming victory, here’s Mike Bedigan’s report on who won the vice presidential debate.

Who won the vice presidential debate? Walz ‘fumbled bigly’ in spar with Vance

I joined Democrats at a VP debate watch party. The vibes in the room were telling

10:20 , Joe Sommerlad

A world away from poor John, Eric Garcia watched the action in Arlington, Virginia, last night, where the mood among the Democrats surrounding him shifted from silent to celebratory as Tim Walz gradually found his feet and got in some timely jabs.

I joined Democrats at a VP debate watch party. The vibes in the room were telling

A night out with the edgelords: Watching the Walz-Vance debate with DC’s young MAGA mob

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

There were more fireworks in the Dirty Water bar in Washington DC last night – where the local Young Republicans chapter had gathered to watch Vance and Walz duke it out – than there were on the debate stage, writes poor old John Bowden, who had the grave misfortune to be there.

Watching the Walz-Vance VP debate with DC’s MAGA mob

Harris, Biden and Obama cheer Walz after debate

09:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s how Kamala Harris and the 46th and 44th presidents reacted to last night’s encounter in New York.

Snap polls after VP debate reveal what voters think of Vance and Walz’s performances

09:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The general consensus among network pundits from both sides of the political aisle last night was that the Ohio Senator came across as more confident, polished and well-prepared than his Democratic rival.

But, according to a CBS/YouGov flash poll of 1,630 voters who tuned into the VP clash, it was an almost even match.

James Liddell has this report.

Snap polls after VP debate reveal what voters think of Vance and Walz’s performances

Walz celebrates with slice of sausage pizza after debate

09:00 , Joe Sommerlad

While JD Vance remained in the spin room talking to the media in the aftermath of last night’s encounter, Tim Walz and his wife Gwen huddled with their team before stepping out for pizza.

Here he is leaning into his “coach” persona to sum up the evening:

Watch: The VP debate highlights, as chosen by the candidates

08:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a look back at the night’s key exchanges according to JD Vance and Tim Walz themselves, judging by the excerpts they chose to post on their social media accounts.

These are the moments the Republican was most pleased with…

…and here are the Democrat’s personal favourites.

Trump live-trolls debate and brands Walz ‘Low IQ Disaster’

08:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Despite making a fool of himself at his own debate against Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last month (“In Springfield, they’re eating the dawgs!”), Trump was on crowing form on Truth Social as he spent his evening posting along to the Vance-Walz showdown.

This is the sort of high-calibre meme he’s been firing out.

Other notable posts from the Republican nominee included his claim that “JD crushed it!”, his angry all-caps denial that he would support a federal abortion ban and his leaping on Walz for misspeaking about gun violence.

Here’s Mike Bedigan’s report.

Trump shares rapid-fire, all-caps reactions on Truth Social during Vance-Walz debate

Trump campaign insists Vance ‘absolutely torched’ Walz

08:00 , Joe Sommerlad

In the interests of balance, here’s what the Trump campaign had to say about their man’s performance:

“Tonight, Senator JD Vance succinctly outlined the Trump-Vance plan for restoring prosperity, safety, and security to the American people after four years of destruction at the hands of Kamala Harris.

“Tampon Tim Walz, meanwhile, humiliated himself by offering the same failed, weak, radical leftism that has failed us — unable to answer the most basic question: why hasn’t Kamala done any of what she’s proposing during her 3.5 years in the White House?”

The statement goes on to list 16 bullet points of supposed Walz “fails” before concluding:

“Walz made clear why Americans will reject the Harris-Walz ticket in November: Kamala Harris has had three-and-a-half years in the White House — and Americans are worse off because of it.

“Why would Americans reward her with another term?”

Harris campaign urges Trump to agree to another debate

07:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Shortly after the vice presidential debate ended, the Harris–Walz campaign ‘s chair Jen O’Malley Dillon released a statement asking Donald Trump to debate Vice President Kamala Harris again:

“The choice facing the American people in November was on full display tonight: between charting a new way forward, or going backwards. Vice President Harris believes that the American people deserve to see her and Trump on the debate stage one more time. She will be in Atlanta on October 23 – Donald Trump should step up and face the voters.

“Tonight, Governor Walz showed exactly why Vice President Harris picked him: he is a leader who cares about the issues that matter most to the American people. In the debate, Americans got to see a real contrast: a straight talker focused on sharing real solutions, and a slick politician who spent the whole night defending Donald Trump’s division and failures.

“On every single issue – the economy, health care, foreign policy, reproductive freedom, gun violence – Governor Walz won. He spoke passionately about the Vice President’s vision for a new way forward for the country. And in what was the most critical moment of the entire debate, which came in its final exchange, he stood up for our Constitution, while JD Vance admitted he’d put Trump ahead of the country.”

This was Trump’s response to that on Truth Social:

JD Vance and Tim Walz keep it cordial in policy-driven debate but Trump is inescapable

07:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning!

If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of what happened as the US vice presidential nominees JD Vance and Tim Walz went head-to-head on the CBS debate stage in New York City on Tuesday night.

In what was a largely cordial encounter in which actual policy discussions broke out on immigration, abortion and gun control, Vance largely got the best of Walz, delivering a smooth, calm and assured performance.

Things were so civil, in fact, that statements like this were heard as the two men found common ground while attacking each other’s respective running mates:

Walz: “I agree with a lot of what Senator Vance said about what’s happening – his running mate, though, does not. And that’s the problem.”

Vance: “Tim just mentioned a bunch of ideas. Now some of those ideas I actually think are halfway decent, and some of them I disagree with. But the most important thing here is: Kamala Harris is not running as a newcomer to politics. She is the sitting VP.”

The Republican did particularly well during a portion of the debate on gun control when he expressed genuine compassion after Walz mentioned his son witnessing a school shooting incident, responding: “I’m sorry about that and I hope he’s doing OK. Christ have mercy, it is awful.”

Walz meanwhile was more nervous and tentative but did grow into the 90-minute contest, forcing Vance into a corner over his false claim about Haitian immigrants eating residents’ pets in Springfield, Ohio, January 6 and Donald Trump’s 2020 election denialism, slamming his rival’s evasive response to that as “a damning non-answer”.

Walz was forced to admit he had been a “knucklehead” in misspeaking about having been in attendance during the Tiananmen Square protest in China in 1989 but fired back at Vance for suggesting abortion rights should be decided by the states because “California has a different viewpoint on this than Georgia”.

“The states will decide what’s right for Texas might not be right for Washington? That’s not how this works. This is basic human rights,” the Minnesota Governor shot back.

Here’s Alex Woodward’s report on a fascinating evening.

Vance and Walz keep it cordial in policy-driven debate but Trump is inescapable

Watch: Vance claims that Harris ‘use children as drug mules’

07:00 , Ariana Baio

Even on Vance’s big debate night in New York, Trump is still center stage for MAGA’s faithful

06:30 , Ariana Baio

Though many Republicans gathered outside the CBS studios on Tuesday were confident of the Ohio Senator’s debating skills, there was one person who could not escape a mention. Mike Bedigan got their views

On JD Vance’s big night in New York, it’s still Donald Trump who takes center stage

New poll shows the debate was a deadheat

06:15 , Eric Garcia

A new poll found the debate turned out essentially a draw. CBS and YouGov put out a survey immediately following the vice presidential debate, which found that 42 percent of people thought that Republican vice presidential nominee Senator JD Vance got the better of his Democratic counterpart Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

But 41 percent thought that Walz got the better of Donald Trump’s running mate. Similarly, people seemed to like the tone of the debate as 88 percent of those surveyed said the tone was generally positive.

Walz tries to dodge but admits ‘discrepancy’ in his comments on time in Hong Kong

06:00 , Josh Marcus

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gave a rambling answer Tuesday night during the vice presidential debate against JD Vance when asked about reports that he falsely claimed to have been in Hong Kong during the June 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in China.

“All I said on this was is, I got there that summer and misspoke on this, so I will just, that’s what I’ve said,” Walz responded to the CBS moderators. “So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests… and from that I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance.”

Josh Marcus reports:

Walz admits he was not in Hong Kong during Tiananmen Square protests: ‘I misspoke’

Rachel Maddow: ‘JD Vance was very polished and very slick’

05:45 , Ariana Baio

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said Vance was “polished” and “slick” but believes that Walz “won”.

“One of these candidates is much slicker than the other is a much more practiced, kind of professional debate-style speaker and the other candidate won,” Maddow said.

She acknowledged that Walz had an unflattering while responding to criticisms about the Tiananmen Square protests but that he succeeded on “every issue on substance” like healthcare, the economy, immigration, abortion and more.

“JD Vance was very polished and very slick and Tim Walz beat him on the substantive points.”

The scene at the Democratic debate watch party

05:30 , Eric Garcia

At the Democrat debate watch party in Arlington, it was initially, quiet and folks were a bit stressed. Then once Walz started to hit his stride, they felt better.

Van Jones says JD Vance ‘lied’ the entire debate

05:14 , Ariana Baio

CNN host and legal analyst Van Jones said JD Vance “lied the entire night”.

Jones said Vance repeated falsehoods about American energy production, Trump’s past healthcare policy, the peaceful transfer of power in 2021 and supporting a national abortion ban.

“I think Americans need to be very, very careful this is a very, very deceitful guy,” Jones said on CNN.

The scene from the DC Young Republicans watch party

05:10 , John Bowden

Guests were losing interest in the wonky debate by the second half and a fight nearly broke out after one man told another guest that his views were “repulsive” and stormed out threatening to kick his ass.

Vance forced to confront his previous criticism of Trump on debate stage – and blames the media

05:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance has blamed the media for his savage past criticisms of the former president.

Speaking in a televised debate against his Democratic opposite number Tim Walz, the Ohio senator claimed that he was misled by “dishonest fabrications” when he compared Trump to Hitler and said he had “thoroughly failed to deliver his economic populism”.

“I’ve always been extremely open about the fact that I was wrong about Donald Trump,” Vance said on Tuesday night. “I was wrong first of all because I believed some of the media stories that turned out to be dishonest fabrications of his record.

Io Dodds reports:

Vance blames media for his brutal past criticism of Trump during debate with Tim Walz

Who won the vice presidential debate?

04:53 , Mike Bedigan

Despite a civilized and at times even convivial vice presidential debate, Democratic nominee Tim Walz at times appeared nervous and unprepared, while his rival JD Vance worked to downplay his image of an uncompassionate weirdo.

Ultimately, the Ohio Senator’s confidence, command of party lines and smooth delivery made a largely positive impression on Tuesday night, in contrast to that caused by several campaign controversies in recent weeks.

Mike Bedigan reports:

Who won the vice presidential debate? Walz ‘fumbled bigly’ in spar with Vance

A review on Walz’s performance

04:48 , Eric Garcia

By his own admission, Vance says he likes to talk a lot. When I watched his debate performances from when he ran for Congress and Governor, Walz can rattle off tons of facts.

The downside to that is that sometimes he isn’t quick on his feet. This was how he at times struggled to respond to questions about his response to violent demonstrations after George Floyd’s killing. In the same way, he slipped when he did not directly address the timeline when of when he went to Hong Kong.

It also meant he tried to pack in his rehearsed lines about abortion rather than responding to accusations about Minnesota’s abortion law.

Who is Usha Vance? JD’s wife is evolving alongside him on the political stage

04:30 , Ariana Baio

When JD Vance began law school at Yale, the Rust Belt native encountered total culture shock — but also met his wife, the whipsmart daughter of Indian immigrants who helped him navigate the Ivy League, healthy relationships and his run for Vice President alongside Donald Trump. Sheila Flynn chronicles their romance

Who is Usha Vance? The wife and family of Trump’s VP pick JD Vance

Both JD Vances—the Hillbilly and the running mate—came out in full force tonight

04:21 , Eric Garcia

Vance did what he needed to do.

For the longest time, one of his biggest downsides is that he has come off as too abrasive or mean-spirited. Here, we saw the Vance that made Hillbilly Elegy a bestseller.

He talked about the woman who raised him—his mamaw—and the fact they were Democrats. He mentioned his three children where in the past he has said he told his kid to “shut up” about talking about Pokémon. Vance mostly succeeded when talking about himself. But he fell short when he tried to skate past his previous comments about Springfield, Ohio or when he talked about how he changed his mind.

Toward the end, we started to see the hard right warrior Vance we have seen since he ran for Senate. He talked about big tech censorship and said it was a bigger issue than the 2020 election. That might be enough to hurt him

Watch: JD Vance refuses to say that Trump lost the 2020 election

04:10 , Ariana Baio

Walz and Vance shake hands to end the night

04:05 , Ariana Baio

Vance appeared more confident during debate

03:56 , Ariana Baio

Both candidates maintained a more even-toned attitude than expected going into the debate, but ultimately Vance seemed more confident in his answers.

At the start of the debate, Walz’s nerves were palpable as he tried to deliver an answer on Israel. His confidence got better throughout the debate and he delivered more punching answers toward the end.

But Vance ultimately seemed more unbothered and well-prepared for the vice presidential debate.

Walz paints a positive picture, Vance attacks Harris in closing

03:49 , Ariana Baio

In their closing statements, Walz maintained a positive outlook of the United States while Vance attacked Harris.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate reminded people that Harris wants to create a more affordable, accessible country for everyone. It was reminiscent of the beginning of the Harris–Walz campaign when they promoted a message of hope for a better future.

But Vance spent most of his closing statement attacking Harris and her policies – a familiar strategy that Trump invokes in his rallies and speeches.

Vance refuses to admit Trump lost 2020 election

03:41 , Ariana Baio

Walz is having a notably strong moment while denouncing January 6 and confronting Vance for refusing to admit Trump lost the 2020 election.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate asked Vance if he believed Trump won the 2020 election, to which Vance said he wanted to focus on the future.

“That is a damning nonanswer,” Walz said.

The Minnesota governor is warning Americans that this discourse over January 6 and the 2020 election. “has got to stop”

“It’s tearing our country apart,” Walz said. He urged Americans to vote for the person who will uphold democracy.

Vance swerves question on rejecting 2024 results

03:33 , Ariana Baio

When confronted about election certification and January 6, Vance immediately pivoted to inflation and later to censorship.

Vance briefly answered moderators’ question, saying the 2020 election had “problems” and defended his running mate for telling rioters to go peacefully to the Capitol on January 6.

The Republican presidential candidate tried to make the attack on the Capitol appear like a health debate. However, more than 1,200 people have been charged in connection to the violent day.

Paid family medical leave is a staple of Walz’s governorship

03:28 , Ariana Baio, Alex Woodward

Walz is advocating for more paid family medical leave on the debate stage.

Last year, Walz signed a bill to provide paid family medical leave with partial wage replacement for 12-20 weeks of leave in a 52-week period for medical leave or family care. That kicks in January 2026.

Walz passionately speaks about the Affordable Care Act

03:21 , Ariana Baio

In response to Trump and Vance potentially overturning ACA, Walz reminds people that Trump did not successfully repeal the ACA while in office and the policy preserves healthcare coverage for those with preexisting conditions.

Walz, using his hands a lot, is passionately explaining why the ACA is important.

Vance claims migrants are contributing to housing prices

03:16 , Ariana Baio

Supporting Trump’s mass deportation policies, Vance claims that migrants are contributing to high housing costs in the U.S.

An economic study said a mass deportation of eight million immigrants would increase consumer prices.

Fact Check: Vance claim on illegally obtained firearms is incorrect

03:09 , Alex Woodward

Vance suggested that school shootings are due at least in part from “illegally obtained firearms” and guns from across the southern border, but most guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally, and guns are largely being trafficked in the other direction because they are easier to buy here.

03:08 , Ariana Baio

Tender moment between Vance and Walz after the Democratic vice presidential nominee shared an emotional story about his son witnessing a mass shooting.

Vance turned to Walz to sympathize with him before addressing the cameras.

Debate resumes with a question on gun control

03:06 , Ariana Baio

After a brief commercial break, we are back on the debate stage with moderators bringing up the topic of gun violence.

Both Vance and Walz agree that gun violence is a problem that needs to be solved but they have different ways of approaching the solution.

Vance cites mental health issues, crime rates and illegal gun ownership as the main contributors to these problems. Walz says it’s access to guns.

“We have to increase security in our schools,” Vance said. “We have to make the doors lock better, make the doors stronger, make the windows stronger.”

House Republicans voted to block the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from funding “any firearm injury and mortality prevention research” in 2023. Only four Republicans joined every Democrat in voting against it.

Fact check on abortion

03:01 , Alex Woodward

A botched late-term abortion isn’t a thing, but Vance also falsely said he has “not supported a national ban.” During the Senate race, he said he supported Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposal to ban abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

While Walz gets emotional discussing complicated and life-threatening pregnancies and abortion care, Vance invokes a woman who needed an abortion while skirting his support for preventing her from getting one.

Watch: JD Vance has his mic cut as VP candidates spar over immigration

03:00 , Ariana Baio

Vance dances around abortion

02:55 , Ariana Baio

When confronted with the issue of abortion, Vance repeated the same policies that Trump has: leave abortion up to the states.

Vance promoted “pro-family” ideas to support Americans raise children.

But when further pushed on his past statements about supporting a “national minimum standard”, Vance falsely claimed he never supported a national abortion “ban”.

On the issue of reproductive rights and abortion, Vance is a slightly disadvantage. Democrats have been campaigning hard on the issue.

Vance confronted on past criticisms of Trump

02:50 , Ariana Baio

Moderators asked Vance about his previous criticisms of Donald Trump – something multiple outlets have reported on.

Like Walz, Vance said he “was wrong about Donald Trump.”

Republicans have promoted theory about Tim Walz’s China visits

02:45 , Alex Woodward

James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, wants the FBI to investigate what he is calling Walz’s “longstanding connections” to the Chinese Communist Party “that make him susceptible to the Party’s strategy of elite capture, which seeks to co-opt influential figures in elite political, cultural, and academic circles to influence the United States to the benefit of the communist regime and the detriment of Americans.”

Trump’s campaign tonight is calling him “Tiananmen Tim” and promoting a “federal congressional investigation” that his own ally is launching.

Walz taught English and American history in China through Harvard University’s WorldTeach program in the late 1980s. He later started a program called Educational Travel Adventures with his wife Gwen Walz, who is also a teacher, to organize summer trips to China for American high school students.

Walz was one of the “first government sanctioned groups of American educators” in China after the country opened its doors to the world in the 1980s, and he was in China during pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Moderators confront Walz on Hong Kong travel

02:42 , Ariana Baio

Moderators have confronted Walz about a trip he claimed to have taken to Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests but got the exact dates incorrect.

Walz attempted to circumvent an answer but ultimately admitted he “misspoke” about the timing of the trip.

“I got there that summer and I misspoke on this,” Walz said.

He added, “I’m a knucklehead at times,” Walz said.”