‘His life and ideals based on…’: PM Modi pays floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
Voters react to Gov. Tim Walz claiming abortion is a ‘basic human right’
Voters in Fox News Digital’s debate dial group had mixed reactions in real time to VP Harris’ runningmate, Gov. Tim Walz’s argument in favor of abortion during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate against Sen. JD Vance. When Walz was asked whether he supports abortion up until the ninth month supported as Minnesota is one of the least restrictive states for abortion, he responded, “That’s not what the bill says.” While Republican voters dipped significantly as Walz spoke, independent and Democratic voters stayed mostly in the approval zone. WALZ REPEATS GEORGIA ABORTION DEATH FALSEHOOD DECRIED BY DOCTORS AS ‘FEARMONGERING’ “What we did is restore Roe v. Wade, we made sure that we put women in charge of their healthcare,” Walz said. Independents dipped slightly in approval while Democratic voters shot up during his statement. The two eventually evened out and stayed in the approval zone. A VISIBLY SHAKY WALZ SAYS THE WORLD NEEDS ‘STEADY LEADERSHIP’ “This is a basic human right,” he later said. The independent voters stayed slightly under the Democratic approval line, as Republicans significantly disapproved. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Vance, Walz spar over abortion and immigration in first and only VP debate
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, faced off Tuesday night in their first and only debate, sparring over issues like foreign policy, border security, abortion and climate change and introducing themselves and their records to the American people with just five weeks to Election Day. Vice presidential debates are traditionally seen as second-tier, but with former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris unlikely to debate again before voters cast their ballots Nov. 5th, the stakes were raised for their running mates as they attempted to tackle the most important issues facing the nation. WALZ FORCED TO CORRECT RECORD ON WHETHER HE WAS IN CHINA FOR THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan moderated the debate in New York City Tuesday night, which was filled with more substantive policy discussion than personal jabs, on a day that began with nearly 50,000 unionized dockworkers going on strike from Maine to Texas and ended with Iran launching its largest attack on Israel in history, firing nearly 250 ballistic missiles at the Jewish State. The first question for Walz and Vance was whether they would support a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran. A visibly shaky Walz had a rough start to the debate, pausing and stumbling over his words as he spoke about the need for “steady leadership” from the White House. Instead of answering the question, Walz took a shot at Trump. “What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter,” Walz said, pointing to Trump’s debate performance against Harris last month. “It’s clear, 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.” But Vance, in his first answer, defended Trump, saying Trump “delivered stability to the world, and he did it by establishing effective deterrence.” “People were afraid of stepping out of line,” Vance said. “Donald Trump recognized that for people to fear the United States, you needed peace through strength. They needed to recognize that if they got out of line, the United States’ global leadership would put stability and peace back in the world.” CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION As for a preemptive strike, Vance said, “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.” Walz fired back. He slammed the Trump administration for pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, saying Iran is “closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before because of Donald Trump’s fickle leadership,” adding Harris is providing “steady leadership.” Vance fired back. “You blame Donald Trump, but who has been the vice president for the last three and a half years? And the answer is, your running mate, not mine,” Vance said. Vance, again defending Trump, said he “consistently made the world more secure.” “Gov. Walz can criticize Donald Trump’s tweets, but effective, smart diplomacy and peace through strength is how you bring stability back to a very broken world,” Vance said. “Donald Trump has already done it once before.” Vance also urged voters to ask themselves “when was the last time that an American president didn’t have a major conflict break out?” “The only answer is during the four years that Donald Trump was president,” Vance said. The debate shifted to the ongoing crisis at the southern border—a top issue for voters. Vance said he has already been to the border more than “border czar” Kamala Harris, while touting Trump’s plan to secure the border. VANCE, WALZ SPAR ON IMMIGRATION DURING VP DEBATE: BEEN TO THE BORDER ‘MORE THAN OUR BORDER CZAR’ But Walz blasted Trump for his alleged efforts to get Republicans to vote against a border bill. “As soon as it was getting ready to pass and actually tackle this, Donald Trump said no. told [lawmakers] to vote against it, because it gives him a campaign issue,” Walz said. “What would Donald Trump talk about if we actually did some of these things?” On the same topic, moderators asked Vance whether he and Trump would support family separation as part of Trump’s proposed “mass deportation” should he be elected. “We have 320,000 children that the Department of Homeland Security has effectively lost,” Vance explained. “Some of them have been sex trafficking; some of them, hopefully are at homes with their families; some of them have been used as drug trafficking mules,” Vance said. “The real family separation policy in this country is, unfortunately, Kamala Harris’s wide open southern border. And I’d ask my fellow Americans to remember when she came into office, she said she was going to do this. Real leadership would be saying, you know what, I screwed up. We’re going to go back to Donald Trump’s border policies. I wish that she would do that. It would be good for all of us.” Walz pushed back, saying children have not been used as “drug mules,” and defending Harris, saying she was attorney general in California and “prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drugs.” Walz also hit Vance over claims he had made about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying he had demonized them. “Look in Springfield Ohio, and in communities all across this country, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed, you’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed, you’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans,” Vance said. At that point, moderators tried to correct Vance–but the GOP vice presidential nominee pushed back, reminding that the moderators said they would not fact-check the candidates. The moderators said that many Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio have legal temporary status. Vance jumped in to “say what’s actually going on.” While explaining the process and tying
Walz repeats Georgia abortion death falsehood decried by doctors as ‘fearmongering’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz claimed during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate that a woman in Georgia likely died due to the state’s “restrictive” abortion laws following the overturning of Roe, despite doctors previously denouncing such a narrative as “fearmongering.” “There’s a young woman named Amber Thurman. She happened to be in Georgia, a restrictive state. Because of that, she had to travel a long distance to North Carolina to try and get her care. Amber Thurmond died in that journey back and forth. The fact of the matter is, how can we as a nation say that your life and your rights, as basic as the right to control your own body, is determined on geography,” Walz said during the debate while sparring with Vance on abortion laws. “There’s a very real chance that if Amber Thurman lived in Minnesota, she would be alive today. That’s why the restoration of Roe versus Wade,” he said. Walz joined Ohio Sen. JD Vance in New York City on Tuesday evening where the pair squared off on key voter issues this election cycle, including the economy, immigration and abortion. OB-GYNS DECRY THE ‘FEARMONGERING’ ABOUT GEORGIA’S ABORTION LAWS: ‘THE LIES ARE HURTING WOMEN’ Walz’s remarks come after ProPublica published an article last month blaming the deaths of two Georgia women, Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, on the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the state’s new abortion limits after the women received chemically induced abortions in 2022. Georgia’s heartbeat law states that “no abortion shall be performed if the unborn child has a detectable human heartbeat except in the event of a medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy.” Members of the Democratic Party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have cited their deaths as evidence for the need to expand abortion access following the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. “Good policy, logical policy, moral policy, humane policy is about saying a healthcare provider will only start providing that care when you’re about to die?” Harris said during an Atlanta campaign event last month, while citing Thurman’s death. OB-GYNs have since criticized the narrative as a misleading story that is being pushed by the media and Democrats. GEORGIA DOCTORS SPEAK OUT TO CHALLENGE MISINFORMATION ON STATE’S ABORTION LAW, DEATH OF AMBER THURMAN “I was not surprised to see this pro-abortion media try to point the blame at Georgia’s pro-life laws, but, in fact, Georgia’s laws allow doctors to intervene to save the life of the woman,” Charlotte Lozier Institute Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs Dr. Ingrid Skop recently told Fox News Digital. “I think the focus of the Democratic Party upon abortion as an issue is only because the American people do not understand the laws. Many times, women are hurt by abortions. It is not necessary for women to live their best life. And, of course, it’s the fearmongering and lies that have led us to this place where we are today, where people even think there would be a reason to point at the law.” Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., and state Rep. Mark Newton have also come out to say they don’t believe Georgia laws had anything to do with Thurman’s death, but was instead caused by alleged complications from abortion pills, as doctors may have waited too long to intercede. HARRIS CALLS FOR ELIMINATING FILIBUSTER TO PASS ‘ROE’ ABORTION BILL INTO FEDERAL LAW “We never deny a woman an abortion because it’s going to harm her in some way. She will always be protected,” McCormick said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “You have every right to an abortion, even with that heartbeat law,” he continued. “So, let’s make that very clear right now. When they say there’s no exceptions, there’s never any law in any state where there’s no exceptions. That doesn’t exist. That’s simply not the way it works. The mother’s life is always protected. With that said, it doesn’t mean it’s easy to get an abortion just because you have a complication or because something goes wrong.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Dems take to social media, react to veep debate
As Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz faced off in the Vice Presidential debate in New York City Tuesday, both parties took to social media to express support for their candidate, with Democrats fact checking Vance on every point. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg claimed Walz was “laying down facts” and that Vance was “unaware” that the U.S. energy production was up. “Remarkable to see JD Vance pretend to be unaware that US energy production is up and US manufacturing is up dramatically right now, much higher than under Trump. Glad Tim Walz is laying down the facts here,” Buttigieg wrote on X. David Plouffe, campaign manager and White House Senior Advisor for Barack Obama and Senior Advisor for Kamala Harris for President called out Vance and said Walz hit his strongest win during the immigration portion. “Gov Walz dominating JD Vance on the immigration exchange with undecided voters in a western battleground state. Reminding these voters Donald Trump built only 2 percent of the wall and Mexico didn’t pay a dime strongest moment of the debate,” Plouffe wrote. TIM WALZ REVISES NUMBER OF TIMES HE WENT TO CHINA California Gov. Gavin Newsom also fact checked Vance and said if he and Donald Trump were elected, American families would pay a high cost. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Vance made “false” claims about the Middle East. “Vance says Trump “restored deterrence” in the Middle East. Totally false. Iran and its proxies weren’t shooting at U.S. troops UNTIL Trump became President,” Murphy wrote. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer applauded Walz for “standing up for American workers.” “Michigan remembers what happened under Donald Trump. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost across all industries, including manufacturing. The Biden-Harris administration was critical to bringing jobs back to Michigan.” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., alleged that Trump and Vance’s “Project 2025 agenda will raise costs on Arizona families while giving more tax breaks and power to big corporations.” “@KamalaHarris and @Tim_Walz will lower costs and build an economy that works for all Americans.” Project 2025 refers to a set of conservative policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation and has turned into a right-wing-‘boogeyman’ style Democratic talking point and fodder for Trump critics. TRUMP BLAMES BIDEN, HARRIS FOR IRAN’S ATTACK ON ISRAEL: ‘VERY CLOSE TO GLOBAL CATASTROPHE’ Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote on X that “housing and homeownership will be the most accessible under a Harris-Walz administration.” “They want to equip the next generation of homeowners with the support they need to achieve the American dream.” Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod wrote on X that Vance was “doing well” in the debate, but then ran “like a bat out of hell” when asked “a direct question about the 2020 election.” Brian Fallon, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, also took aim at Vance’s response to questions about the 2020 election. “A top moment of the debate comes in the closing minutes: Vance refuses to say Trump lost the 2020 election. ‘Damning non-answer,’Walz says,” he wrote on X.
GOP lawmakers, leaders react to Vance, Walz debate: ‘Spitting cold, hard truth’
Republican lawmakers and top voices praised Ohio Sen. JD Vance for “spitting the cold, hard truths” as he sparred with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the vice presidential debate in New York City. “Senator JD Vance spitting the cold hard TRUTH on the debate stage,” Trump 2024 national press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. “Total domination and we are only 20 minutes in.” The debate in New York City on CBS News was Walz and Vance’s only debate prior to the monumental election on Nov. 5. “Tim Walz is as radical as they come on the issue of immigration,” Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., wrote on X. “As governor of Minnesota, he supported free health care, free college tuition, and driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. Innocent Americans have been assaulted & murdered because of this border crisis.” VANCE, WALZ FACE OFF ON BORDER, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ABORTION DURING VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE The debate began with CBS News moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan asking the candidates about their Middle East policy after Iran attacked Israel with a massive missile barrage. “Tim Walz’s answer on Israel was incomprehensible. Like Kamala–Walz has no idea what he is talking about,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X. “Kamala and Walz would make the chaos in the Middle East worse.” “Iran rained missiles down on Israel TODAY, 1,350 days into Kamala Harris’ tenure as Vice President, so naturally Tim Walz says it’s Donald Trump’s fault,” Trump campaign senior adviser Tim Murtaugh wrote on X. “JD knocks it out of the park with first question!!! Tim Walz implodes on first question in presentation, communication, and substance,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., wrote on X. Republican voices highlighted the Kamala Harris campaign’s immigration policy. Immigration is a top issue for American voters this year, as a record number say the situation at the southern border is a major problem or an outright emergency, according to the latest Fox News national survey. “Law enforcement has been attacked. Deadly fentanyl has taken the lives of thousands of Americans,” Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott wrote on X. “Kamala Harris & Tim Walz support open border policies. They will make the border crisis WORSE.” FOX NEWS TOP TALENT REACT TO CBS NEWS VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE “How can Tim Walz pretend Kamala is tough on the border when she allowed more than 16,000 sex offenders and 13,000 murderers to cross the border?” Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on X. “A vote for Kamala and Tim Walz is a vote for open borders.” The candidates turned their attention to abortion, with Republicans criticizing Walz’s abortion stance. “He is better in our toughest issues than most republicans are on our best issues. I told you so!!!” Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X. “Democrats always resort to killing babies every time they are losing. And then lie and call it ‘reproductive freedom.’ There is nothing reproductive about abortion,” Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X. “Democrats view unwanted babies as a life they can throw away and call it a choice. The truth is motherhood is not something to throw away, neither are babies.”
Vance, Walz spar on immigration during VP debate: Been to the border ‘more than our border czar’
Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz sparred on the issue of immigration in their debate Tuesday night, and Vance called out the immigration policies of VP Kamala Harris. “First of all, the gross majority of what we need to do to the southern border is just empowering law enforcement to do their job,” Vance said during the Tuesday night debate on CBS during a discussion on the Haitian migrant surge in Springfield and immigration overall. “I’ve been to the southern border more than our ‘border czar’ Kamala Harris has been. And it’s actually heartbreaking because the Border Patrol agents, they just want to be empowered to do their job.” Vance continued by saying that, “of course, additional resources would help,” but that the issue is mostly about the Biden administration not empowering law enforcement to say “if you try to come across the border illegally, you’ve got to stay in Mexico” and “go back through proper channels.” TIM WALZ SAID HE WENT TO CHINA ‘DOZENS’ OF TIMES, NOW HIS CAMPAIGN SAYS ITS ‘CLOSER TO 15’ “Now, Gov. Walz brought up the community of Springfield, and he’s very worried about the things that I’ve said in Springfield,” Vance said. “Look, in Springfield, Ohio, and in communities all across this country, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed. You’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed. You’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes. “The people that I’m most worried about in Springfield, Ohio, are the American citizens who have had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’ open border. It is a disgrace, Tim, and I actually think I agree with you. I think you want to solve this problem, but I don’t think that Kamala Harris does.” Walz repeatedly made the case that Trump shut down the Senate immigration bill earlier this year that VP Harris has said she will sign in a move he believes would have made strides at the border. UNEARTHED PHOTO SHOWS TIM WALZ APPOINTEE DECORATED HOUSE WITH POSTERS OF MURDEROUS COMMUNIST DICTATORS “It is law enforcement that asked for the bill,” Walz said. “They helped craft it. They’re the ones that supported it. It was because they know we need to do this. Look, this issue of continuing to bring this up, of not dealing with it, of blaming migrants for everything. “On housing, we could talk a little bit about Wall Street speculators buying up housing and making them less affordable, but it becomes a blame. Look, this bill also gives the money necessary to adjudicate. I agree it should not take seven years for an asylum claim to be done. “This bill gets it done in 90 days. Then, you start to make a difference in this, and you start to adhere to what we know, American principles. I don’t talk about my faith a lot, but Matthew 25:40 talks about to the least amongst us, you do unto me. I think that’s true of most Americans. They simply want order to it. This bill does it. It’s funded. It’s supported by the people who do it, and it lets us keep our dignity about how we treat other people.” Vance referred to the Biden-Harris record on immigration as a “disgrace.” “Look, what Tim said just doesn’t pass the smell test,” Vance said. “For three years. Kamala Harris went out bragging that she was going to undo Donald Trump’s border policy. She did exactly that. We had a record number of illegal crossings. We had a record number of fentanyl coming into our country. “And now that she’s running for president or a few months before, she says that somehow she got religion and cares a lot about a piece of legislation. The only thing that she did when she became the vice president, when she became the appointed border czar was to undo 94 Donald Trump executive actions that opened the border. This problem is leading to massive problems in the United States of America. Parents who can’t afford health care, schools that are overwhelmed. It’s got to stop. And it will when Donald Trump is president.” A Harris campaign official told Fox News Digital that its focus group of undecided voters watching the debate reacted more strongly in favor of Walz’s comments. “Overall, Gov. Walz outperformed JD Vance in the immigration section, and the highest rating for Gov. Walz of the night so far was when he reminded viewers of Donald Trump’s failed promise to build a wall, only building 2% of it,” the campaign said.
Walz forced to correct record on whether he was in China for the Tiananmen Square protests
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was forced to answer questions about his controversial travel to China and misstatements about those trips during Tuesday night’s debate. Walz has said he was in Hong Kong during the deadly Tiananmen Square protests in the spring of 1989. But Minnesota Public Radio and other media outlets are now reporting that Walz actually did not travel to China until August of that year. CBS News moderator Margaret Brennan asked Walz to explain the discrepancy. COMER SUBPOENAS DHS FOR RECORDS RELATING TO WALZ’S ALLEGED TIES TO CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY “Look, I grew up in a small rural Nebraska town, a town that you rode your bike with your buddies till the streetlights come on, and I’m proud of that service,” a visibly shaky Walz said. “I joined the National Guard at 17, worked on family farms and then I used the GI bill to become a teacher.” Walz said that, as a “passionate young teacher,” he had “the opportunity in the summer of ’89 to travel to China — 35 years ago. “I came back home and then started a program to take young people there. We would take basketball teams. We would take baseball teams. We would take dancers. And we would go back and forth to China,” Walz said, noting the trips were “to try and learn.” “Look, my community knows who I am. They saw where I was at. I will be the first to tell you I have poured my heart into my community, and I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect,” Walz continued. “And I’m a knucklehead at times.” Walz said his commitment “from the beginning” has been to “make sure that I’m there for the people.” “Many times, I will talk a lot. I will get caught up in rhetoric. But being there, the impact it made, the difference it made in my life, I learned a lot about China,” Walz said. “I hear the critiques of this.” Walz said he would “make the case that Donald Trump should have come on one of those trips with us.” “I guarantee you he wouldn’t be praising XI Jinping about COVID. And I guarantee you he wouldn’t start a trade war that he ends up losing,” Walz said. “So, this is about trying to understand the world. It’s about trying to do the best you can for your community, and then it’s putting yourself out there and letting your folks understand what it is. “My commitment, whether it be through teaching, which I was good at, or whether it was being a good soldier or was being a good member of Congress. Those are the things that I think are the values that people care about.” But Brennan pushed back, reminding Walz of the question and again asking him to explain the discrepancy. “All I said on this was, as I got there that summer and misspoke on this,” Walz said. “So, I will just — that’s what I’ve said. So, I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, went in and, from that, I learned a lot of what needed to be in in governance.” Walz’s ties to China have come under the microscope since he became Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. HOUSE OVERSIGHT INVESTIGATING WALZ OVER ‘LONGSTANDING CONNECTIONS’ TO CHINA House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., launched an investigation into Walz’s alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Comer revealed that Walz has “engaged and partnered with” Chinese entities, making him “susceptible” to the CCP’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.” Comer has pointed to reports that Walz, while working as a teacher in the 1990s, organized a trip to China for Alliance High School students. The costs were reportedly “paid by the Chinese government.” TIM WALZ SAID HE WENT TO CHINA ‘DOZENS’ OF TIMES, NOW HIS CAMPAIGN SAYS ITS ‘CLOSER TO 15’ Comer is investigating Educational Travel Adventures, Inc., a private company Walz created in 1994 that was led by Walz and coordinated annual student trips to China until 2003. The company reportedly “dissolved four days after he took congressional office in 2007.” Comer said Walz has traveled to China an estimated “30 times.” Comer has issued a subpoena to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, compelling him to produce DHS records related to Walz’s alleged ties to the CCP. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Walz, meanwhile, during a congressional hearing in 2016, said he had “been to China dozens of times.” “I’ve been there about 30 times,” Walz told an agriculture-focused publication in 2016. However, a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson recently told Minnesota Public Radio the number was “closer to 15 times.”
Vance rips Walz on economy, says he’s forced to ‘pretend’ Trump didn’t lower inflation
Ohio Sen. JD Vance ripped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the Democratic Party’s economic record, remarking Walz has a “tough job” simultaneously defending Vice President Kamala Harris’ “atrocious economic record” while attacking former President Donald Trump on the economy. “Honestly, Tim, I think he’s got a tough job here because you’ve got to play Whac-A-Mole. 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,” Vance said Tuesday evening during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate in New York City. Vance was responding after Walz slammed the GOP ticket as one that protects billionaires with tax cuts and pledging that he’s a “union guy” who wants to keep jobs in the U.S. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: TRUMP MAINTAINS LEAD ON 2 TOP ISSUES AHEAD OF VP DEBATE Vance continued by saying Walz has to juggle defending Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic record while slamming Trump. “And then you simultaneously got to defend Kamala Harris’s atrocious economic record, which has made gas, groceries and housing unaffordable for American citizens,” Vance continued. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: HARRIS TICKS UP AND SENATE REPUBLICANS TAKE CHARGE “I was raised by a woman who would sometimes go into medical debt, so that she could put food on the table in our household. I know what it’s like to not be able to afford the things that you need to afford. We can do so much better. To all of you watching, we can get back to an America that’s affordable again. We just got to get back to common sense economic principles.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The economy is a top voter concern this election cycle, ranking alongside issues such as the immigration crisis, abortion and national security. “I hope we have a conversation on health care then, senator,” Walz said as Vance wrapped up his points on the economy. “Please,” Vance responded. The debate marks the first time the pair have squared off against one another, and will likely be the only vice presidential debate this cycle. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
A visibly shaky Walz says the world needs ‘steady leadership’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz kicked off his debate against Ohio Sen. JD Vance on shaky footing when he was first asked about his foreign policy platform in the Middle East. “Governor Walz, if you were the final voice in the Situation Room, would you support or oppose a preemptive strike by Israel on Iran?” CBS’ Margaret Brennan asked Walz on Tuesday evening in New York City during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate. Walz thanked the moderators for hosting him before delivering a halting and stammering answer while calling for “steady leadership.” “Iran, our I, Israel’s ability to be able to defend itself is absolutely fundamental. Getting its hostages back, fundamental. And ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But the expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity for the United States to have to steady leadership there. You saw it experienced today where along with our Israeli partners and our coalition, able to stop the incoming attack,” Walz responded, taking a few pauses between words. ISRAEL UNDER ATTACK: IRAN LAUNCHES MISSILES, GUNMEN KILL AT LEAST 8 NEAR TEL AVIV Earlier Tuesday, Iran launched more than 100 ballistic missiles at Israel. War broke out in Israel nearly one year ago on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched attacks on the nation. “What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter. It’s clear. 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,” Walz continued. GOP LEADER SAYS VANCE ‘ABSOLUTELY PREPARED’ FOR VP DEBATE SHOWDOWN WITH WALZ Walz continued his response by taking shots at former President Donald Trump and his former administration officials. “His chief of staff, John Kelly, said that he was the most flawed human being you’d ever met. And both of his secretaries of defense and his national security advisers said he should be nowhere near the White House. Now, the person closest to them… said he’s unfit for the highest office. That was Sen. Vance,” Walz said, referring to Vance’s previous criticisms of Trump before he was elected to the White House in 2016. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE VP DEBATE Walz summed up his first response by arguing Vice President Kamala Harris has shown “steady leadership” on the world stage. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “What we’ve seen out of Vice President Harris is we’ve seen steady leadership. We’ve seen a calmness that is able to be able to draw on the coalitions, to bring them together understanding, that our allies matter. When our allies see Donald Trump turn towards Vladimir Putin, turn towards North Korea, when we start to see that type of fickleness around holding the coalitions together, we will stay committed. And as the vice president said today, we will protect our forces and our allied forces, and there will be consequences,” he continued. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.