Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has rarely spoken in the media since becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee, stumbled and gaffeped during a highly anticipated debate with Sen. J.D. Vance.

Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz faced off Monday on CBS News in what is likely the final debate of the 2024 election cycle. Vance is 7 times He had more media appearances than Harris and Walz's tickets combined and was noticeably more confident than Walz, who has stumbled through past false defenses. (Related: 'Witness Protection': Media-friendly Tim Walz has disappeared from the airwaves since joining Harris Ticket)

“I think it shows that he's done very few interviews with local and national media. He needed more practice,” CNN's Dana Bash said on the post-debate show. He spoke at

Mr. Walz's nervousness was on display from the moment he took to the debate stage and stumbled over an answer about how the administration would support Israel in retaliating against Iran.

After Walz blamed Trump for the Middle East crisis, Vance changed his tune and pointed out that the former president was not in charge when the war broke out.

“I think what Governor Walz just said is extremely unusual. You yourself said that Iran is today closer to nuclear weapons than ever before. And Governor Walz blamed President Trump. Who was your vice president for a year and a half? And the answer is your vice president, not me,” Vance said.

Vance: “Governor Walz, you blamed Donald Trump. Who has been your vice president for the past three and a half years? And the answer is your vice president, not me.” pic.twitter.com/gSroaviOEq

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 2, 2024

Sagar Enjeti, co-host of Breaking Points and former White House correspondent for the Daily Caller, tweeted that “Waltz is super nervous” four minutes into the debate.

Waltz is nervous to death.

— Sagar Enjeti (@esaagar) October 2, 2024

Mr. Walz's first major stumbling block came about 40 minutes into the debate when he was asked what was next. CNN coverage Falsely claimed to have been in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen massacre.

“Now, my community knows who I am. They've seen where I am. Let me first tell you that I poured my heart and soul into my community. I've tried to do the best I can, but I've had my fingers bent at times, but it's always been about them. Those same people kept me in Congress for 12 years. “I was one of the most bipartisan in elected and in Congress passing bills like the Farm Bill and working on veterans' benefits,” Walz said, adding that he sometimes gets caught up in the rhetoric.

When Walz was unable to explain the discrepancy, the CBS hosts questioned him again. The governor later said he had misspoken, then repeated his lie that he was in Hong Kong during the massacre.

“All I said in this case was that I misspoke about this when I got there that summer. So I will, that's just what I said. So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy movement. [inaudible] From there I learned a lot about what governance takes,” Walz said.

His most significant gaffe of the night came when Walz, trying to answer a question about gun control, claimed to be friends with the school shooter.

“Governor, you used to oppose the assault weapons ban, but it wasn't until late in your political career that you changed your stance. Why?” host Norah O'Donnell asked. asked.

“Well, I was sitting in that office with the parents in Sandy Hook. I became friends with the school shooters. I've seen them,” Walz began. “Look at the NRA, I was an NRA employee for a long time. They used to teach gun safety. I had a shotgun in my car, so I went pheasant hunting after soccer practice. That's not where we live today.”

My daughter died in the Parkland school shooting. It is absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz befriended a school shooter. Disqualified. https://t.co/Q0tkhmHFAi

— Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) October 2, 2024

Vance's confidence and positivity towards hosts O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan was also a theme. (Related: CBS News leadership is being harassed by Democratic donors; they're also hosting the next debate)

Twenty minutes into the debate, after the network ended, Brennan tried to fact-check Vance about moving in Springfield, Ohio. agreed Do not check the facts beforehand. Vance expressed concern that 20,000 Haitian immigrants have flocked to Springfield, Ohio, and overwhelmed the town over the past three years.

Brennan then moved on to another question. add He argued that Haitian immigrants have “legal status.” Vance had his microphone cut off when he tried to dispute the claim.

“I want to be clear to our viewers: Springfield, Ohio has a large population of Haitian immigrants with legal status and temporary protected status,” Brennan said.

“But Margaret…the rules were that you don't fact check me. And since you're fact checking me, I think it's important that I say what's actually going on,” Vance said. answered. “There is an application called the CBP One app that, on the wave of Kamala Harris’s open border crutch, allows people who remain undocumented immigrants to apply for asylum or parole to be granted legal status. I'm not the type of person to come and wait 10 years to apply for a green card–” Vance began to answer before Brennan told the senator he needed to move on and the microphone was cut off.

CBS cut off Vance's microphone from explaining how the Biden/Harris administration “legally” allowed more than 800,000 immigrants into the United States via the CBP One app. It then sounded as if Mr. Walz claimed that the CBP One app has been around since the '90s, which is completely false. Biden/Harris…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 2, 2024

Polls show Americans think Waltz is better Attractive More of a running mate than Vance. Mr. Vance faced a barrage of attacks from Democrats who labeled him a “weird” for his past comments early on after he was wiretapped. But to the satisfaction of Republicans, Mr. Vance began to gain ground as Mr. Walz was forced to defend false claims about his close ties to China and his war record. (Related article: 'Go all in': Republicans see J.D. Vance as valuable asset as campaign enters final phase)

Despite Walz's favorability rating, Democrats began to reverse course midway through the debate, arguing that the vice presidential debate would have little impact on the presidential race.

“The bottom line is, I don't think this changes the campaign at all,” David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Obama, said on CNN's Post Show.

The problem is:
The vice president does not decide policy. The president does.
Who will talk about the Pence era?

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) October 2, 2024

“In fact, I think most Americans fundamentally understand that the vice president is not the president,” said former Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill. tweeted.

Regardless of whether the vice presidential nomination has any impact on the race, Politico acknowledged that Vance had the lead nearly an hour into the debate.

Vibe Check: JD Vance is doing great tonight. https://t.co/sHhzI0EV9w

— Politico (@politico) October 2, 2024

The headline reads, “Vibe Check: J.D. Vance is in great shape tonight.” read.