2024 VP debate: Watch live, updates from NYC
NEW YORK - Both JD Vance and Tim Walz are on the attack in tonight's CBS News Vice Presidential Debate, the first and likely only time America will see the two candidates squaring off face-to-face before Election Day 2024.
THE BRIEF
- The debate will last for 90 minutes. Click here to see how to watch.
- Vance is a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz is a Democratic former congressman and two-term governor of Minnesota.
- Polls have shown Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a close contest, giving added weight to this debate.
US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance (L) and Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz participate in the Vice Presidential debate hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York Cit
Stay here for live updates as the debate unfolds.
Walz shares that teen son witnessed shooting, Vance shows sympathy
Walz highlighted a personal connection to gun violence, sharing that his 17-year-old son had witnessed a shooting at a community center.
He called for "reasonable things we can do" to address gun violence but didn’t outline specific policies, despite widespread support for measures like universal background checks.
Attendees during a vice presidential debate watch party in New York, US, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Historically, debates between the running mates of the major party nominees for president have a negligible effect on the contest for the White House,
Vance shared his sympathies but emphasized increasing school security in order to prevent mass shootings, saying "We have to make the doors lock better," Vance said, in response to a query about guns in schools.
Vance also tied gun violence to illegal immigration, alleging that school shootings are linked to illegal guns crossing the southwestern border – though data shows most guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally.
- 10:30, Jacob Flanagan
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Vance reiterates support for IVF
Vance reiterated his support for fertility treatments, calling himself "pro-family in the fullest sense of the word" and noting his previous support for IVF.
According to the Associated Press, Vance previously cosponsored Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s bill supporting in vitro fertilization.
But in June, he voted against the Right to IVF Act, which would have codified a federal right to IVF access. Vance also denied supporting a national abortion ban.
Walz firmly denied claims that Minnesota's abortion laws allow for ninth-month abortions and highlighted Minnesota's rankings in health care and defended the state's approach to reproductive rights.
"This is about health care in Minnesota; we trust women, and we trust doctors," Walz said.
- 10:15, Jacob Flanagan
Trump reacts to debate on Truth Social
Trump is live posting from the debate, attacking Walz with the nickname "Tampon Tim."
"JD Vance just CRUSHED Tampon Tim with the FACTS. America was GREAT when I was President, and we will Make America Great Again after we win on November 5th!" he posted.
- 9:55, Alex Meier
Hurricane Helene and climate change
The devastation wreaked by Hurricane Helene was a focal point on Tuesday's debate.JD Vance called the storm "an unspeakable human tragedy" and vowed to support "a robust and aggressive federal response."
Walz also expressed concern, saying, "The Biden-Harris administration is working with no partisanship" to help the affected states, which have seen over 150 fatalities.Walz also emphasized the impact of climate change on the storm, noting, "Farmers know climate change is real. They’ve seen 500-year droughts, 500-year floods back to back."
He urged continued efforts to reduce the nation’s environmental impact. In contrast, Vance argued for increased energy production, stating, "If you really want to make the environment cleaner, you’ve got to invest in more energy production—natural gas, nuclear—something Kamala Harris has done the opposite of."
- 9:50, Jacob Flanagan
Candidates take on the economy
After moderators pointed out that Trump polls better than Harris on the economy, Walz highlighted his plan to build 3 million new homes for Americans with down payment assistance.
When pressed on how the plan would be paid for, he said "We’ll just ask the wealthiest to pay their fair share. When you do that, our system works best."
JD Vance defended Donald Trump's economic record. "When people say Trump’s economic plan doesn’t make sense, I say, look at the record he delivered, rising take-home pay for American workers."
- 9:45, Jacob Flanagan
Vance claims migrants use ‘children as drug mules,’ has mic cut
When asked if a new Trump administration would carry out mass deportations, Vance claimed that migrants are bringing in "children as drug mules" and were "letting in fentanyl."
He also claimed that the Biden administration allowed "20, 25 million illegal aliens" in the U.S., but according to the Associated Press, that number is highly inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports over 10 million arrests for illegal crossings from January 2021 to September 2024. Those are arrests, not individuals, since many crossed multiple times due to pandemic-era rules. The Department of Homeland Security estimated about 11 million people were living in the U.S. illegally as of January 2022, with 79% having entered before 2010.
Walz rebutted by claiming Trump did nothing to ease the situation at the border during his tenure as president: "Less than 2% of that wall got built and Mexico didn't pay a dime. But here we are again."
As the moderators tried to switch subjects, Vance's mic was cut while attacking policies that allow certain legal protections for Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
- 9:30, Jacob Flanagan and Alex Meier
Candidates begin with response to Iran's missile strikes on Israel
The debate began with a question about conflict in the Middle East after a day of Iranian strikes on Israel.
Vance raised a frequent Republican claim that the Biden administration provided Iran with money for attacks by unfreezing Iranian funds.In fact, the U.S. last year agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian funds as part of a deal to free five U.S. citizens held by Tehran but insists none of that money has reached Iranian government coffers.
- 9:20 p.m., AP Writer Ellen Knickmeyer
Debate time and how to watch
You can watch in the YouTube player above.
9 p.m.: The CBS News Vice Presidential Debate Simulcast are available to watch on FOX 5 (Channel 5) and our CTV app, FOX Local. Don't have the FOX Local app? Here's how you can download it.
You can also watch FOX 5's free channels on your connected TV: The Roku Channel (Channel 4101), Samsung TV Plus+ (Channel 1126), LG Channels (Channel 154), Vizio WatchFree+ (Channel 260), TCLtv+, Pluto TV, Tubi, Amazon News, Pluto TV, Freevee and Sling TV.
We'll also embed CBS News YouTube live player in this article.
10:30 p.m.: The debate's scheduled off time.
Will New York's problems and policies take center stage?
Vance and Walz are squaring off at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, a longstanding Democratic stronghold and break from the usual purple swing state stops along the campaign trail.
Though Democratic politics dominate New York City, the city's problems and policies have become a lightning rod in national political discourse. NYC's migrant crisis and crime headlines are key attacking points used by the right, with former president Donald Trump recently calling New York "a city in decline."
Inversely, New York is cast as a safe haven by Democrats worried about abortion rights, as deep red states have banned or severely limited access to abortion.
"The issues that matter to New Yorkers also matter to individuals across the country, James Sample, a law professor at Hofstra University, told FOX 5 NY. "Vance is going to try and make immigration a major, major theme. It's what he's done throughout the campaign. Certainly, Tim Walz is going to say that the economy, by all of the objective metrics, is dramatically improving."
"You'll hear a lot about tonight is the dramatic difference between the two candidates on issues particularly important to women, whether it's abortion and choice," he added.
Where is the debate? Should NYers expect traffic?
The debate is taking place at the CBS Broadcast Center, located on 57th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues on Manhattan's West Side.
The city has not announced specific road closures for its high-profile guests, but New Yorkers should expect gridlock on the West Side when the candidates' motorcades arrive and leave the area.
The candidates have not shared whether they'll make any local campaign stops after the match-up.
What are the rules for the debate?
The Associated Press reported that CBS said it would be up to Vance and Walz, not the moderators, to fact-check each other in real-time, and there won't be an audience at the event.
Walz and Vance’s microphones will stay on while the other is speaking, unlike the two presidential debates. CBS has the choice to turn off a hot mic when needed. Walz and Vance will have two minutes for a closing statement. Vance won a virtual coin toss and will speak last, the AP noted.
In the June debate between Trump and Biden, CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash limited follow-up questions and did not fact-check either participant.
Months later in September’s debate between Trump and Harris, ABC's David Muir and Linsey Davis interjected with matter-of-fact corrections to some of Trump's most glaring misstatements.