 "Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gestures as he speaks during a debate with Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) hosted by CBS in New York, US, October 1, 2024. Source: REUTERS.")
The first and possibly the only Vice Presidential debate ahead of the closely-watched 2024 US Presidential elections started with Democratic candidate Tim Walz and Republican nominee JD Vance asked about the ongoing situation in West Asia and preemptive Israeli strike on Iran.
Minnesota Gov. Walz said that the US needs to continue to have a presence in West Asia and that he supports continuing to stand with Israel against Iran-backed proxies.
Presumably misspeaking, saying Israel instead of Iran, Walz went on to say, “The expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States to have the steady leadership there.”
Walz, however, dodged the question when asked if he were the final voice in the situation room, would he support a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran. Instead, he quickly began blasting Donald Trump, saying he was dangerous for the country and the world in an unstable moment.
“What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter. And the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago, a nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment," the Democratic governor of Minnesota said.
Walz further accused Trump of being close to “dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.”
He said that Iran was closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before “because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership.”
Responding to the question, Vance began by giving a mention of his background and his past roles before saying that he would leave to Israel to make the choice of how to respond and support US allies as they see fit.
“Look, it is up to Israel what they think they need to do to keep their country safe, and we should support our allies wherever they are when they’re fighting the bad guys. I think that’s the right approach to take with the Israel question,” Vance said.
He then continued by arguing that Trump is an intimidating figure whose presence on the international stage is its own deterrent.
“Donald Trump actually delivered stability," he said.
Intensifying his attack, Vance then blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Walz for the escalating violence in West Asia and threat of Iran’s nuclear program.
“Iran is as close to a nuclear weapon today as they have ever been. And Governor Walz, you blame Donald Trump. Who has been the vice president for the last three and a half years?” he said.
With inputs from agencies.