US vice-presidential debate as it happened: J.D. Vance, Tim Walz face off for first time in New York

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To recap, here are the major moments from the debate between Republican nominee J.D. Vance and Democratic nominee Tim Walz:

• Vance defended his previous stance criticising former US president Donald Trump, saying he has been “extremely open about the fact that I was wrong about Donald Trump”.
• There was tense debate over abortion, as Vance claimed the Democrats were “pro-abortion”, to which Walz replied: “No, we’re not. We’re pro-women. We’re pro-freedom to make your own choice.”
• Walz directly asked Vance if Trump lost the 2020 election, which Vance refused to answer, saying: “I’m focused on the future.”
• Republicans began attacking Walz for appearing to misspeak when he said: “I’ve become friends with school shooters”. His campaign said he meant to say he had become friends with the families of school shooting victims.

J.D. Vance and Tim Walz.Credit: AP

Republicans are attacking Tim Walz for saying he had “become friends with school shooters”.

During a question about gun control, Walz said he had met families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims before appearing to misspeak.

“I’ve become friends with school shooters, I’ve seen it,” he said.

“Look the NRA, I was an NRA guy for a long time, they used to teach gun safety. I’m of an age where my shotgun was in my car.”

Republicans have since attacked Walz, as The New York Times reports Walz’s campaign team says he misspoke and meant to say he had become friends with families of school-shooting victims.

J.D. Vance and Tim Walz in the vice presidential debate.Credit: nna\NPearson

During the debate, Democrat Tim Walz directly asked Republican J.D. Vance if former president Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Towards the end of the debate, Walz said: “I think there’s a lot of agreement, but this is one that we are miles apart on. [The Capitol riot] was a threat to our democracy in a way that we had not seen and it manifested itself because of Donald Trump refusing to say [he lost the election]. He is still saying he didn’t lose the election.”

Walz then asked Vance: “Did he lose the 2020 election?”

Vance responded: “Tim, I’m focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?”

Walz: “That is a damning non-answer.”

Watch the full clip of the exchange below.

Speaking to Fox News after the debate, Republican J.D. Vance accused Democrat Tim Walz of being unable to defend Vice President Kamala Harris’ policies.

“We just need a change in this country, we need to get back to the commonsense leadership of Donald Trump,” Vance said.

“I’m not surprised that Tim [Walz] couldn’t defend that record. Who could? If you put me on the debate stage … to defend Kamala Harris’ record, I’d melt into a puddle. There’s no defending what she’s done in the last three years.”

J.D. Vance says Americans should hope for a better future.Credit: AP

Vance added that the cost of living is the key issue for Americans and he wants to reignite hope for citizens.

“If you’re struggling in this country and you’re looking to the future, I want you to look to the future from a place of hope and optimism, I want you to believe the American dream is still possible,” he said.

“I really do believe it’s still possible … only if we get the policies that actually make sense for the American people.”

Going into this debate, most folks thought it would be a bare-knuckled brawl.

After all, J.D. Vance and Tim Walz have spent weeks sniping at each other from afar, with Vance branding Walz as a “dangerous liberal” and Walz portraying Vance as a “weird” extremist.

But this has been a very civil and policy-focused night – and at some points, the men were even gushing.

J.D. Vance and Tim Walz speak at the end of the debate.Credit: AP

“I’ve enjoyed tonight’s debate, and I think there was a lot of commonality here,” Walz said while answering a question about the threat to democracy.

Soon after, Vance replied: “I hope that we win, and I think we’re going to win, but if Tim Walz is the next vice president, he’ll have my prayers, he’ll have my best wishes, and he’ll have my help whenever he wants it.”

Republican J.D. Vance has dodged a question on the January 6 Capitol riots and whether the election results will be challenged again, saying the issue lies with the Democrats’ “threat of censorship”.

“I believe we actually have a threat to a threat to democracy in this country, but unfortunately it is not the threat Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to talk about, [it] is the threat of censorship,” he said.

“It is Americans casting aside life-long friendships because of disagreements over politics, it’s big technology companies silencing their fellow citizens.

J.D. Vance and Tim Walz debating on democracy.Credit: Bloomberg

“And it is Kamala Harris saying that rather than debate and persuade her fellow Americans, she’d like to censor the people who engage in misinformation.”

In response, Walz turned the debate back to the January 6 riots.

“A president’s words matter. People hear that. So I think this issue of settling our differences at the ballot box, shaking hands when we lose, being honest about it, but to deny what happened on January 6 – the first time in American history that a president or anyone tried to overturn a fair election and a peaceful transfer of power,” Walz said.

“And here we are, four years later, in the same boat. I will tell you this, that when this is over, we need to shake hands, this election, and the winner needs to be the winner. This has got to stop. It’s tearing our country apart.”

The affordability of healthcare and childcare has come up in the debate, as Democrat Tim Walz says a Trump presidency will mean tax breaks for the wealthy.

Asked how long employers should be required to pay workers while they are home taking care of newborns, Walz does not give a direct answer but pivots to accuse Donald Trump of failing to prioritise social policy.

“He is willing to give those tax breaks to the wealthiest … as far as childcare on this, you have to take it at both the supply and demand side,” Walz said.

“A federal program of paid family leave will enhance the workforce, enhance the families and make it easier to have the children that you want.”

Republican J.D. Vance said everyone cares about this issue.

“If you look at the federal programs, the support paid family leave, [that’s] another block grant program that spends a lot of money from the federal government,” he said.

“These programs only go to one kind of childcare model.”

J.D. Vance during the debate.Credit: AP

The debate turns to the soaring cost of housing and rent, noting that there’s a shortage of more than 4 million homes in the United States.

Vice President Kamala Harris has promised $25,000 down payment assistance for first home buyers and a $10,000 tax credit.

She’s also promised to build 3 million new homes.

Walz is asked where these homes will be built, which he doesn’t quite answer, but rejects the notion that handing out that kind of money will simply drive up prices further.

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz.Credit: AP

Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance says a solution to school shootings is to increase security.

Asked whether parents should be held responsible for children who commit mass shootings, Vance said this was something he would like to see.

“The answer is going to be yes, and in some cases, the answer will be no. The details matter. For example, if a kid steals a gun, that’s going to be different than if a parent hands over a gun, knowing that their kid is potentially dangerous,” he said.

Gun control has come up as the next topic during the vice-presidential debate.Credit: AP

“What do we do about the schools? What do we do to protect our kids? I say this not loving the answer. Because I don’t want my kids to go to school … that feels unsafe or where there are visible signs of security.

“But I feel that we have to increase security in our schools. We have to make the doors lock better. We have to make the doors stronger.

“We have to make the windows stronger and of course, we’ve got to increase school resource officers, because the idea that we can magically wave a wand and take guns out of the hands of bad guys, it doesn’t fit with recent experience.”

Walz begins his answer by saying his 17-year-old child witnessed a shooting at a community centre and “those things do not leave you”.

“We need to figure this out. In Minnesota, we have enacted enhanced red-flag laws and background checks and we can start to get data,” he said.

“We have folks who will not allow research to even be done on gun laws and the idea that we should just live with that [is wrong].”

Walz also points out that he and Harris are both gun owners, saying they have to look at the experience of other countries to find solutions. (Note: Harris has previously praised Australia on this).

“I ask all of you out there: do you want your schools hardened to look like a fort?” Walz asks before adding: “I think there’s a capacity to find solutions on this that work. Protect the Second Amendment; protect our children. That’s our priority.”

The topic now turns to abortion: an issue where Democrats tend to have the upper hand.

Democrat Tim Walz hits out at Donald Trump for the overturning of Roe v Wade, outlining the stories of women whose lives were endangered by abortion restrictions.

Republican J.D. Vance is asked about his previous support of a federal ban on abortion – something he has now backed away from, since most voters view it as too extreme.

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz.Credit: AP

He claims that Democrats are “pro-abortion”, to which Walz replies: “No, we’re not. We’re pro-women. We’re pro-freedom to make your own choice.”

Walz continues: “We know what the implications are ... that’s women having miscarriages, women not getting the care, physicians feeling like they may be prosecuted for providing that care.”