Nashville, Tennessee – Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz engaged in their first and only debate on Tuesday night, covering a range of topics from foreign policy and the economy to the 2020 election and abortion rights. Despite the contentious nature of this year’s presidential debates, the VP nominees managed to keep the discussion civil. However, both candidates faced scrutiny over the accuracy of their statements.
During the debate, Walz was questioned about his whereabouts during the Tiananmen Square massacre in China, as conflicting reports placed him in both China and Nebraska at the time. Walz admitted to misspeaking in the past but maintained that he was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests. Fact-checkers revealed that contemporaneous newspaper reports actually placed Walz in Nebraska during the time of the massacre.
Vance claimed that rising heating costs were due to Kamala Harris’ energy policies, but experts clarified that the increase was more likely influenced by extreme seasonal temperatures. Additionally, Walz’s assertion that the Inflation Reduction Act created 200,000 jobs was found to lack specific context, with some analyses estimating a lower number of jobs created by the law.
When Vance touted the U.S. as having the world’s cleanest economy, experts pointed out that various rankings placed the country lower globally in terms of carbon emissions and sustainability metrics. Similarly, claims about the increase in housing costs during the Biden administration were met with evidence suggesting a more moderate rise in home prices compared to rental costs.
Vance’s praise of Trump’s economic policies was countered with data showing a consistent rise in net compensation over the years. Similarly, claims about the number of migrants committing crimes and the unfrozen assets transferred to Iran were found to be misleading or exaggerated.
As the candidates debated issues like border crossings and abortion laws, fact-checkers uncovered discrepancies in their claims regarding policy implications and legislative decisions. Despite the differing perspectives presented during the debate, it is evident that both candidates faced challenges in accurately representing the facts on various issues.