JD Vance vs. Tim Walz debate key highlights: immigration, inflation, abortion, Middle East crisis and more

Immigration, taxes, abortion, climate change, the Middle East crisis and the economy continued to be the focus of the only vice presidential debate on Tuesday between US vice presidential candidates Tim Valz and JD Vance.

The debate, which remained surprisingly polite and calm, was in stark contrast to the ongoing heated election battles that have been marked by two assassination attempts and scathing personal attacks in the run-up to the November 5 election.

JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, and Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' running mate, remained cautious about their approach to the televised debate hosted by CBS News in New York.

6 key takeaways from the JD Vance vs. Tim Walz debate

Unlike the two presidential debates, Vance and Walz did not make a faux pas large enough to tarnish their party's victory. Instead, they remained quiet throughout the debate, focusing on various issues including women's abortion rights, immigration policy, economic turmoil, etc.

Abortion rights

The issue of abortion rights and guns for women remained one of the hottest points of the debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz. While Vance denied supporting a national abortion ban, he accused Democrats of being “pro-abortion.”

“We have a federal ban on partial-birth abortion in place in this country. I don't think anyone is trying to get rid of this, or at least I hope not, even though I know the Democrats have taken a very radical pro-abortion stance,” Vance said during the debate.

In response to Vance's accusation that Democrats were “pro-abortion,” Walz responded sharply: “No, we're not.” We're pro-women. We are for the freedom to make your choice.”

Immigration policy

The two leaders argued over one of the most burning issues of the US election campaign: immigration. Walz accused Vance and Trump of denigrating legal immigrants. He also highlighted the impact of Donald Trump and JD Vance's false claims about Haitians eating pets.

“This is what happens when you don’t want to solve it. You demonize it,” AP quoted Walz, who added that this would not allow people to “come together.”

In retaliation, Vance said the 15,000 Haitians in the city had caused housing, economic and other problems that the Biden-Harris administration ignored.

Inflation and the economy

JD Vance questioned Kamala Harris' leadership and stance on economic issues and advocated for “a new direction” for regime change. He also questioned why Harris hadn't implemented her economic plans to address the problems of the middle class now while she was still in government.

“If Kamala Harris has big plans to address the problems of the middle class, she should implement them now — not when she asks for a promotion, but in the job the American people gave her three and a half years ago.” said Vance said.

“Whether you are rich or poor, you should be able to afford a good meal for your family. “This has become more difficult because of Kamala Harris’ policies,” he added.

Crisis in the Middle East

Although they argued on various issues, the two leaders shied away from making a clear statement on the Middle East crisis and Iran's attack on Israel and its retaliation.

However, neither leader would say whether they would agree to a pre-emptive strike by Israel against Iran, the BBC reported.

Walz claims pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square

During the debate, Tim Walz had to clarify his previous claims about his presence in Hong Kong during the deadly Tiananmen Square democracy protests in 1989. He had previously claimed to have been in Hong Kong for a teaching position.

“I got there this summer and I got it wrong on this issue,” AFP quoted Walz as saying, calling himself a “knucklehead” who “will get caught up in the rhetoric.”

“I got there that summer and made a mistake. So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests and learned a lot about what it means to be in government,” he added.

Covid-19 pandemic

Tim Walz and JD Vance disagreed over Donald Trump's policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minnesota governor criticized former President Trump's handling of the pandemic, saying Kamala Harris inherited Donald Trump's failures on COVID-19, which he said “led to the collapse of the US economy.”