It was a calmer, more courteous debate – and less popular overall.

According to Nielsen estimates, Tim Walz and JD Vance’s vice presidential debate drew more than 43 million viewers on Tuesday night.

The 43 million figure is the aggregate audience of 15 television networks that aired the CBS-produced debate. An unknown number of extra individuals saw the debate via YouTube and other internet channels.

43 Million Watched Walz-Vance VP Debate, In Significant Drop From 2020 Matchup

Vice-presidential debates are generally rated lower than presidential debates, and this year was no exception. According to Nielsen, last month’s discussion between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump drew over 67 million people across 17 television networks.

Nonetheless, Tuesday’s viewership was high enough to make the Walz-Vance discussion one of the most-watched single telecasts of the year in the United States.

Four years ago, 57 million people watched the only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle, featuring Harris and then-Vice President Mike Pence. According to Nielsen, 69.9 million people saw Joe Biden and Sarah Palin compete in the most-watched vice presidential debate of 2008.

However, television viewership habits have shifted substantially in recent years. And Tuesday’s viewership was high enough to make the Walz-Vance discussion one of the most watched single telecasts in the United States in 2024.

And those who saw awarded the discussion a thumbs up, praising its relatively courteous and civil tone.

CNN pollsters reported “no clear winner,” but the event left viewers with more positive impressions of both candidates than they had before the debate.” The “overwhelming majority” of viewers “felt the tone of the debate was positive,” CBS stated afterward.

43 Million Watched Walz-Vance VP Debate, In Significant Drop From 2020 Matchup

Typically, the VP duel occurs between presidential debates. However, Trump continues to reject offers of another debate, so the VP debate could be the last of this election season.

The Harris team announced Tuesday night that “she will be in Atlanta on October 23” — the day CNN has offered to conduct a debate there — and that “Donald Trump should step up and face the voters.” Trump said on Truth Social, “I beat Biden, then I beat her, and I’m not looking to do it again, too far down the line.”

SOURCE | CNN

New York Times columnist and political analyst Ross Douthat reported that the first half of the vice-presidential debate has been the strongest illustration in this campaign so far of why it made sense for Donald Trump to pick JD Vance as his running mate

He stated that the Ohio senator is presenting one of the most impressive debating performances by a Republican nominee for president or vice president in recent memory and is arguing for Trump’s record in a manner that surpasses anything that Trump has ever been able to do.

After weeks of effective Democratic attacks on his right-wing podcast commentary, Vance’s performance has included a dose of self-conscious humanization, an attempted reintroduction to his blue-collar upbringing, and a striking personal biography, according to Douthat.

Walz timid comparison to JD Vance

It has incorporated some meticulous rhetorical tap dancing and policy jujitsu regarding topics such as abortion and climate change as well. However, it has primarily served as an effective prosecution of the case against the Biden-Harris administration, with an unremitting emphasis on fostering nostalgia for the economy, the immigration landscape, and the relative foreign-policy tranquilly of Trump’s term.

In contrast, Tim Walz appears to be affable, well-intentioned, and, in comparison to Vance, essentially inexperienced. He is devoting an excessive amount of time to partially concurring with his opponent, while simultaneously presenting a considerably more disjointed argument against Trump than Vance is against Kamala Harris.

Ross Douthat stated, “I believe that this performance has raised a question: Why has the Harris campaign eschewed Walz from one-on-one interviews, whereas Vance has been fielding hostile inquiries since the beginning of his candidacy?”

It appears that the Minnesota governor would have benefited significantly from spending additional time being cross-examined on the Sunday programs prior to his departure to engage in a debate with a Republican vice-presidential nominee who, despite his other deficiencies, is evidently adept at debate.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials released fresh statistics this week indicating that up to 425,000 convicted criminals are living in the United States illegally because of the Biden-Harris administrations failed border policy.

In a letter to US Representative Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner disclosed that as of July 21, 662,566 non-citizens with criminal ties had not been detained while awaiting immigration procedures, according to the Border Report.

There are 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,141 pending criminal accusations. Over 60,000 people are on the docket for assault.

Approximately 16,000 people have been convicted of sexual assault, while almost 57,000 have been found guilty of offences involving “dangerous drugs.” The data were most recently updated on July 2024.

Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, blasted the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies for allowing dangerous individuals into the country.

Biden-Harris administration slammed

“It may be shocking to hear that the Biden-Harris administration is actively releasing tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens into our communities, but their own numbers conclusively prove this to be the case,” Rep. Green wrote in an email. “This defies all common sense.”

“How many more Americans need to die or be victimised before this administration is forced to abide by the laws they swore to uphold?” Rep. Green asked. “This is lunacy. It is not something that any civilized, functioning society should allow.”

In a letter to Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, ICE said that the high figures are the result of local prosecutors refusing to comply with its detainer requests, which allow police to hold migrants in custody until ICE can get them. Many sanctuary cities deliberately refuse these pleas to avoid looking prejudiced towards refugees.

“ICE recognises that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperating with federal immigration officials will erode trust with immigrant communities and make it harder for local law enforcement to serve those populations,” the organisation said in a statement. “However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimise those same communities.”

On a Friday press call, several bereaved parents accused Vice President Kamala Harris for their children’s deaths, claiming that her border policies allowed hazardous drugs and criminals to enter the United States. The Trump campaign organised the call, which came ahead of Harris’ travel to the Arizona-Mexico border on Friday.

Trump slams Vice -President Harris

“Her reckless do-nothing approach directly resulted in the death of my son and countless other young Americans,” a mother told me. “Our kids are supposed to learn from their mistakes but thanks to Kamala Harris’s open borders, instead they die.”

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump described the statistics as “the worst numbers I think I’ve ever heard” during a town hall session in Warren, Michigan, on Friday.

He blasted Vice President Harris, claiming that it is all down to “our great border czar, who’s incompetent, who’s totally incompetent.”

“They were all released in our country. And we cannot put up with this. “This is blatant incompetence.” He further mocked Harris for being someone “who always complains and doesn’t do anything.”

“She’s at the border today. “What a day for the border!” Trump stated.

Vice President Kamala Harris paid her first visit to the US-Mexico border since becoming the border czar, promising to bridge the gap between border security and “creating a system of immigration that is safe, orderly, and humane.”

However, her trip to the border did not halt criticism of her border policy, as the National Border Patrol Council slammed her symbolic visit in a statement. “After years of not only ignoring, but also contributing to the problem, Vice President Kamala is finally heading down to the border,” he stated.

This is nothing more than her checking the box; in actuality, it is a smack in the face of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day, as well as a slap in the face to the American people.

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