US election: Walz-Vance debate begins with first question on West Asia crisis

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance, two sons of America’s Midwestern heartland with deeply opposing views on the issues gripping the country, shook hands on Tuesday night to start the only vice presidential debate of the Nov. 5 election.

The two shook hands in New York before the CBS event began with a first question on the crisis in the West Asia.

The first question of the night was on Iran’s missile attack on Israel and Walz immediately turned his fire on Trump’s foreign policy record, slamming the ex-president for his “turn towards” Russia’s Vladimir Putin" and his withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear disarmament deal, known as the JCPOA.

Both Walz and Vance when asked their first question about whether they would support a pre-emptive Israeli strike against Iran did not immediately start their response by the addressing the question.

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Walz attacked Trump mentioning his age and saying he was close to dictators like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.

Vance, on the other hand, began his response by giving a mention of his background and his past roles before saying he would leave to Israel to make the choice of how to respond and support U.S. allies as they see fit.

Walz said that Iran was closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before “because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership.”

Vance said: “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.”

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Walz, 60, the liberal governor of Minnesota and a former high school teacher, and Vance, 40, a bestselling author and conservative firebrand U.S. senator from Ohio, are expected to clash early and often, with each trying to land a lasting blow in an event that has historically had little measurable impact on White House campaigns.

Aides to the two men predicted fireworks during the 90-minute televised debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, as they defend themselves and speak up for the candidates at the top of each ticket, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.