New York, United States

US vice presidential contenders JD Vance and Tim Walz clashed on Tuesday (Oct 1) in the first and potentially the last televised debate before the November elections. The two candidates clashed over a variety of issues, including abortion and immigration, even as the discussions repeatedly circled back to Vance's running mate Donald Trump. 

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How many times was Trump mentioned?

According to AFP, Trump's name overshadowed many of the exchanges, coming up over 80 times- twice as many times as Walz's running mate Kamala Harris.

However, the debate between the Republican candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, and his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, took a deeper dive into policy compared to the September debate between Trump and Kamala Harris. 

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Also read | Walz says he is 'friends with school shooters', panned for debate performance

On Migration

During the debate, Tim Walz, who appeared nervous early on, criticised Vance for supporting what he called false claims about Haitian migrants, accusing him of fuelling divisions on immigration. He emphasised that migration should not be used as a "talking point," but rather as a humanitarian issue.

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"By standing with Donald Trump and not working together to find a solution, (immigration) becomes a talking point…And when it becomes a talking point like this, we dehumanise and villainise other human beings."

On Abortion

The debate heated up during discussions on abortion. In 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade, which gave women all over the nation the right to abortion. This happened largely due to justices appointed by Trump. 

Also read | Trump blames Biden and Harris for making Iran bolder and richer; warns of global catastrophe

During the discussion on abortion, Vance accused Democrats of holding a "very radical pro-abortion stance" views and said they supported what he labelled "barbaric" laws.

Walz countered, asserting that he supported women's rights and reproductive freedom and was "pro-women".

On Iran-Israel

Foreign policy was another contentious point, with both contenders addressing the Iran missile attack on Israel. 

Walz took aim at Trump's foreign policy, especially his withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and his relationships with leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin. He said that Harris represents "steady leadership while Trump was "fickle".

"What we've seen out of Vice President Harris is we've seen steady leadership...We've seen a calmness that is able to draw on the coalitions to bring them together, understanding that our allies matter," he said.

Slamming Trump, he said: "Our allies understand that Donald Trump is fickle. He will go to whoever has the most flattery or where it makes sense to him. Steady leadership, like you witnessed today, like you witnessed in April, both Iranian attacks were repelled." 

Vance defended Trump's record, claiming that the former president delivered stability in global affairs.

"As much as Governor Walz just accused Donald Trump of being an agent of chaos, Donald Trump actually delivered stability in the world," he said.

Walz also faced some uncomfortable moments, particularly when he had to admit he "misspoke" about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests.

(With inputs from agencies)