New York City, NY – The Vice Presidential debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance, hosted by CBS News, took place on Tuesday, October 1st. The moderators were Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, leading the event that saw the candidates making significant claims and accusations.
During the debate, Vance stated that Iran had received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets due to the Kamala Harris administration. However, further investigation revealed that the Iran nuclear deal was negotiated during Barack Obama’s presidency and not under the Biden administration. The figure Vance mentioned referred to potential sanctions relief that never materialized because the deal ultimately fell apart.
Vance also claimed that Trump could have destroyed Obamacare, which was contradicted by Trump’s own statements in 2017 when he expressed intentions to let the program fail. The debate also highlighted issues related to DHS losing children, with Vance stating that DHS had effectively lost 320,000 children. However, these numbers did not necessarily reflect missing children, and the Biden administration had not implemented a policy of separating migrant children from their parents as the Trump administration had done.
Walz, on the other hand, claimed that border crossings had decreased compared to when Trump left office, citing statistics on migrant apprehensions. He also pointed out Trump’s response to Iranian missiles hitting near U.S. troops, where Trump initially downplayed the injuries as “headaches.” Additionally, Walz addressed Vance’s previous statements on climate change and Trump’s dismissal of it as a “hoax.”
The debate also covered topics such as the affordability of prescription drugs under different administrations and the impact of certain policies on access to contraception and fertility treatments. Walz made claims about Trump’s tax payments and the decrease in opioid deaths in Ohio, highlighting positive trends in the opioid crisis.
Throughout the debate, both candidates presented their arguments and rebuttals, shedding light on various domestic and foreign policy issues. The fact-checking process by CBS News aimed to provide viewers with accurate information and context to better understand the claims made by the candidates during the debate.