JD Vance had to find a way to not make himself hated more. The bar was not high; he crossed it easily, then maintained the pace, leaving Tim Walz behind him.
Donald Trump’s running mate had specific challenges to overcome: finding a way to forget that he has a strong opinion of women who take care of their cats rather than the children they did not have.
Find a way to show that he is not the racist that his comments about the Haitian migrants in Springfield seemed to reveal.
Doctor Vance in the emergency room
JD Vance is not the nicest guy Middletown, Ohio has given America. That said, the 40-year-old senator responded head-on to the tough questions addressed to him; worse, he had to accept the confusing comments that Donald Trump is making. And he did quite well, thank you!
Vance presented himself to this debate like a surgeon with his scalpel, dissecting his patients – the American economy, the mood of his countrymen, the solutions of his opponent – and demonstrating why this or that remedy was not going to save the victims.
The “coach” and his limits
This debate helped to better understand why Kamala Harris made Tim Walz her running mate. For a man who was clearly nervous and vaguely confused at first, the 60-year-old governor proved he could master topics, resonating far beyond Minnesota.
If Tim Walz wanted to prove to Americans that anyone can dream of being president, he’s succeeded. For the rest, he did nothing to come close.
That said, since the rule of these vice-presidential debates is to not harm the “top of the ticket”, the presidential candidate, going into the shadows is a victory, in its own way.
