Amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel, Democratic vice presidential candidate and Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, stressed the need for continued US presence in West Asia on Tuesday . Republican vice presidential candidate and Ohio Senator JD Vance, meanwhile, stated that it would be up to Israel if it wanted to launch a preemptive strike on Iran after the country launched missiles toward Israel.
On Tuesday, Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel, while the US military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend against this attack. US naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down incoming missiles.
Both US vice presidential candidates, Walz and Vance, participated in their first and only debate before the 2024 election in November, where they pitched to Americans why they should vote for their respective tickets. Walz reiterated proposals from his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, while Vance argued that former President Donald Trump is the better choice for addressing key issues.
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The debate concluded with a question about whether Donald J. Trump’s failure to cede power after losing the 2020 election posed a threat to democracy, reported The New York Times. The candidates discussed issues facing American voters during the 2024 election campaign, including West Asia, abortion, the economy, immigration, and climate change.
When Walz was asked about abortion, he defended Minnesota’s broad abortion-rights law and criticized former President Trump’s record on the issue. The Democratic candidate highlighted the consequences of abortion bans enacted in states across the country after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Walz defended his record on abortion as Minnesota governor and attacked Project 2025. He stated that his ticket is “pro-women” and “pro-freedom to make your own choice,” promising to restore Roe v. Wade.
Vance expressed his desire for Republicans to be “pro-family in the fullest sense of the word” and called for policies that make having children more affordable and provide women with “more options.” He also advocated for a “family care model that makes choice possible”.
Walz criticized Trump’s immigration policies, pointing out that the former president successfully killed a bipartisan border deal in the Senate. Vance continued to attack Harris and the Biden administration’s handling of the border but did not answer whether he would support a child separation policy.
The governor repeatedly referenced Vance’s past comments criticizing Trump before joining the Republican ticket, while Vance defended himself by stating he has been “extremely open about the fact that I was wrong about Donald Trump”.
Before accepting Trump’s nomination as the US vice presidential nominee, Vance had been critical of the former president. He later embraced Trump’s populist ideology. Trump selected JD Vance as his running mate on July 15 and confirmed it through a post on Truth Social.
During the debate, Vance described the devastation from Hurricane Helene as “an unbelievable, unspeakable human tragedy,” without directly answering a question about the role climate change played. In contrast, Walz highlighted Harris’s improvements on climate change and criticized Trump’s previous comments labeling the issue as “a hoax.”
Vance argued that Trump’s economic plan would address the cost-of-living crisis on his first day in office, promising to impose historic tariffs and deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Walz defended Harris’s proposals, stating that his running mate believes in the middle class and pointing to plans to make housing and homeownership more affordable while cutting taxes.
Harris secured her party’s nomination for president, earning support from 99 percent of the 4,567 delegates who cast ballots at the recent Democratic National Convention. This came after President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race amid concerns over his age, particularly following his poor performance in a debate with Donald Trump in June. Meanwhile, Trump is eyeing a comeback to the White House after a bitter exit in 2020.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
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