US Election: Tim Walz agrees for a debate but JD Vance shows scepticism, ‘We’re not going to walk into…’

Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, has agreed to debate his Republican counterpart, Ohio Senator JD Vance, on October 1. This date was one of several proposed by CBS News, which has invited both candidates to face off in a debate ahead of the November 5 election.

On August 14, CBS News posted on X that it invited Vance and Walz to participate in a debate in New York City, offering four dates ahead of the Nov. 5 election to choose from: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, and Oct. 8.

Walz confirmed his participation in the debate via social media, saying, “See you on October 1, JD.” However, Vance has yet to publicly commit to the event. Speaking on Fox News, Vance expressed interest in debating Walz but noted that his team was still ironing out the details.

“We just heard about this thing three hours ago, so we’re going to talk to them and figure out when we can debate,” Vance explained. He emphasized his desire for more than one debate but stressed the importance of having the right conditions, including live audiences and fair moderators. “We’re not going to walk into a fake news media garbage debate,” Vance said, echoing sentiments shared by his running mate, Donald Trump.

“We’re going to do a real debate, and if CBS agrees to it, then certainly we’ll do it.”

Kamala vs Trump debate on Sept 4

This potential debate is part of a broader landscape of political matchups, with the presidential nominees, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, also slated to debate each other in September.

During his first rally as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate on Aug. 6, Walz said that he “can’t wait to debate the guy,” referring to Vance. “That is if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”

While Walz seems eager to take the stage against Vance, the Republican candidate has expressed some skepticism, citing concerns about the finalization of the Democratic ticket. Earlier in the campaign, Vance was disappointed when he missed out on a chance to debate Harris directly, following Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race.