J.D. VANCE

IN PHOTOS: Trump's historic return to the White House

Ian Riley & Amber Holritz, for Forum News Service — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 01:06:58 GMT

Washington, D.C. — Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, making history as the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland. The ceremony, originally planned for the Capitol’s West Front, was relocated to the Rotunda due to unseasonably cold weather.

Donald Trump Sworn In as 47th President of the United States

Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025, making history as the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland.

The event drew a mix of political leaders, dignitaries and supporters. In his inaugural address, President Trump focused on themes of combating "woke culture", stimulating economic revitalization and strengthening America’s global standing. He emphasized his commitment to "restoring prosperity and pride" across the nation.

Donald Trump Sworn In as 47th President of the United States

Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025, making history as the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland. Crowds gathered on the National Mall to witness the historic event, despite the frigid temperatures.

The inauguration featured several notable moments, including a performance of "America the Beautiful" by country star Carrie Underwood and the attendance of former President Joe Biden, underscoring a peaceful transfer of power.

Security was heightened in Washington, with thousands of law enforcement officers and National Guard troops ensuring the safety of attendees. Crowds gathered on the National Mall in large numbers to witness the historic event, despite the frigid temperatures.

Donald Trump Sworn In as 47th President of the United States

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Donald Trump elected US president in stunning comeback

Steve Holland, Nandita Bose, Stephanie Kelly and Joseph Ax / Reuters — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:00:52 GMT

PALM BEACH, Florida — Donald Trump was elected president, capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House and ushering in a new American leadership likely to test democratic institutions at home and relations abroad.

Trump, 78, recaptured the White House on Wednesday by securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency, Edison Research projected, following a campaign of dark rhetoric that deepened the polarization in the country.

The former president's victory in the swing state of Wisconsin pushed him over the threshold. As of 4:45 a.m. CT Trump had won 279 electoral votes to Harris' 223 with several states yet to be counted.

He also led Harris by about 5 million votes in the popular count.

"America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," Trump said early on Wednesday to a roaring crowd of supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida.

Trump’s political career had appeared to be over after his false claims of election fraud led a mob of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed bid to overturn his 2020 defeat.

But he swept away challengers inside his Republican Party and then beat Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by capitalizing on voter concerns about high prices and what Trump claimed, without evidence, was a rise in crime due to illegal immigration.

Harris did not speak to supporters who had gathered at her alma mater Howard University. Her campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, briefly addressed the crowd after midnight, saying Harris would speak publicly later on Wednesday.

"We still have votes to count," he said.

Republicans won a U.S. Senate majority, but neither party appeared to have an edge in the fight for control of the House of Representatives where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority.

Jobs and economy

Voters identified jobs and the economy as the country's most pressing problem, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polls. Many Americans remained frustrated by higher prices even amid record-high stock markets, fast-growing wages and low unemployment. With the administration of President Joe Biden taking much of the blame, a majority of voters said they trusted Trump more than Harris to address the issue.

Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel Trump's election victory. His loyal base of rural, white and non-college educated voters again showed up in force.

Trump prevailed despite persistently low approval ratings. Impeached twice, he has been criminally indicted four times and found civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation. In May, Trump was convicted by a New York jury of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star.

His victory will have major implications for U.S. trade and climate change policies, the war in Ukraine, Americans' taxes and immigration.

His tariff proposals could spark a fiercer trade war with China and U.S. allies, while his pledges to reduce corporate taxes and implement a spate of new cuts could balloon U.S. debt, economists say.

Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation campaign targeting immigrants in the country illegally.

He has said he wants the authority to fire civil servants he views as disloyal. His opponents fear he will turn the Justice Department and other federal law enforcement agencies into political weapons to investigate perceived enemies.

A second Trump presidency could drive a bigger wedge between Democrats and Republicans on issues such as race, gender, what and how children are taught, and reproductive rights.

Harris falls short

Vice President Harris fell short in her 15-week sprint as a candidate, failing to galvanize enough support to defeat Trump, who occupied the White House from 2017-2021, or to allay voters' concerns about the economy and immigration.

Harris had warned that Trump wanted unchecked presidential power and posed a danger to democracy.

Nearly three-quarters of voters say American democracy is under threat, according to Edison Research exit polls, underscoring the polarization in a nation where divisions have only grown starker during a fiercely competitive race.

Trump ran a campaign characterized by apocalyptic language. He called the United States a "garbage can" for immigrants, pledged to save the economy from "obliteration" and cast some rivals as the "enemy within."

His diatribes were often aimed at migrants, who he said were "poisoning the blood of the country," or Harris, whom he frequently derided as unintelligent.

Despite legal woes and controversies, Trump is only the second former president to win a second term after leaving the White House. The first was Grover Cleveland, who served two four-year terms starting in 1885 and 1893.

Unprecedented campaign

In May, Trump was convicted by a New York jury of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star. Two months later, a would-be assassin's bullet grazed his right ear during a campaign rally, exacerbating fears about political violence. Another assassination attempt was thwarted in September at his Florida golf course. Trump blamed both attempts on what he claimed was the heated rhetoric of Democrats including Harris.

Barely eight days after the July shooting, Biden, 81, dropped out of the race, finally bowing to weeks of pressure from his fellow Democrats after a poor performance during his debate with Trump called into question his mental acuity and the viability of his reelection bid.

Biden's decision to step aside turned the contest into a sprint, as Harris raced to mount her own campaign in a matter of weeks, rather than the typical months. Her rise to the top of the ticket reenergized despondent Democrats, and she raised more than $1 billion in less than three months while erasing what had been a solid Trump lead in opinion polls.

Harris' financial advantage was partly countered by the intervention of the world's richest man, Elon Musk, who poured more than $100 million into a super PAC mobilizing Trump voters and used his social media site X to amplify pro-Trump messaging.

As the campaign drew to a close, Harris increasingly focused on warning Americans about the perils of reelecting Trump and offered an olive branch to disaffected Republicans.

She highlighted remarks from several former Trump officials, including his former chief of staff and retired Marine Corps General John Kelly, who described Trump as a "fascist."

Trump's victory will broaden the fissures in American society, given his false claims of election fraud, anti-immigrant rhetoric and demonization of his political opponents, said Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University who studies voter behavior and party politics.

A Trump second term

Trump has vowed to reshape the executive branch, including firing civil servants he views as disloyal and using federal law enforcement agencies to investigate his political enemies, violating what has been a longstanding policy of keeping such agencies independent.

During his first term, Trump's most extreme demands were sometimes stymied by his own cabinet members, most notably when Vice President Mike Pence refused to block Congress from accepting the 2020 election results.

Once the 2024 vote is certified by Congress on Jan. 6, 2025, Trump and his vice president, U.S. Senator JD Vance, are due to take office on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. Throughout his two-year-long campaign, Trump has signaled he will prioritize personal fealty in staffing his administration. He promised roles in his administration to Musk and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., both avid supporters.

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VP hopefuls make Midwest push as Vance pops in on Minnesota, Walz swings through Wisconsin

Dana Ferguson and Clay Masters / MPR News — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:47:52 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — Mere minutes after Tim Walz took flight Monday on a campaign swing to Wisconsin, JD Vance touched down in Minnesota as the vice presidential candidates concentrated on the kind of Midwestern turf familiar to both and pivotal in the election.

Walz, the Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential nominee, had some prominent Democrats with him on stops in Wisconsin. While polls show a tight race there and nationally, Walz daydreamed aloud about a decisive win.

At multiple stops, Walz highlighted comments former President Donald Trump made over the weekend about possibly using military troops to root out enemies “from within” the country.

“To Donald Trump, anybody who doesn’t agree with him is the enemy. I tell you that not to make you fearful or anything. I tell you that because we need to whip his butt and put this guy behind us. That’s what we need to do,” Walz told an audience of college students and others at a coffeehouse in Eau Claire. “I want to wake up when this guy is not on the national stage.”

Vance, an Ohio senator and the Republican presidential nominee, went directly from the tarmac at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to a private fundraiser. He later stopped by the former 3rd Precinct police building in Minneapolis, which was set ablaze by a mob amid the protests following George Floyd’s murder by police officers in 2020.

Vance is just the latest Republican to use it as a backdrop after U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson did the same earlier this year. Vance described the building as a symbol of failed leadership by Walz and suggested presidential nominee Kamala Harris was also too lenient toward crime and unrest. He said it “drives home the stakes” of the election.

“The story of Minneapolis is coming to every community across the United States of America if we promote Kamala Harris to president of the United States,” Vance said outside the fenced-off precinct building.

Vance was flanked by retired police officers and Republican 2nd Congressional District nominee Joe Teirab.

The city has since found a new location for the precinct station. However, the heavily damaged former station remains unoccupied. And Minneapolis city leaders and residents have debated possible uses for it.

With just three weeks left until Election Day, both served notice that the Upper Midwest could determine who wins the presidency, particularly in places just to Minnesota’s east. In separate visits, both vice presidential candidates urged voters to get involved and stressed the stakes of the election.

Vance said Minnesota isn’t off the Republican map despite a lack of recent visits and no sustained television advertising on par with the Harris presence on Minnesota stations. He said while Minnesota has Democratic voting tendencies in presidential elections for decades, the GOP ticket thinks it has a chance and “we’re going to fight for it.”

“We think we have the momentum,” Vance said of the 2024 race at large. “We think, frankly, even without the momentum, if the election was held today, we would win.”

Appearing with U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin during a campaign stop at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Walz said the approaching election is going to be close and the late pushes to get voters out will matter.

“I would encourage you all — we need you. This is not hyperbole,” Walz said. “I think it’s very realistic to believe that this race will be won going through Wisconsin, and going through some of these counties, and reelecting Tammy Baldwin, those votes all up and down the ticket will make a difference.”

A third vice presidential candidate, the Green Party’s Butch Ware, also was in the region on Monday.

Ware met with supporters along the Mississippi River at Annie Young Meadow, a park named for a longtime Green Party Minneapolis Park Board commissioner.

Ware, who grew up in Minneapolis, spoke intimately around a bonfire with a handful of Green Party supporters. He is running with Jill Stein, and their ticket has the backing of some disaffected Democrats upset with the U.S. assistance to Israel as it carries out a war against Hamas in Gaza.

“The reality is, you are not giving this election to Donald Trump if you walk away from the Democratic party and vote Green,” Ware said. “The Democrats are throwing this election away because they could stop the electoral carnage if they stop the physical carnage. They could stop their electoral bleeding with a cease-fire and an arms embargo.”

Among those gathered along the river was Cam Gordon, a former Minneapolis City Council member and co-chair of the state’s Green Party. He said he’s noticed an increasing number of people turn green, as the war wages on.

“The other parties aren’t willing to talk about it and aren’t willing to address it and aren’t willing to look at it,” he said.

MPR News reporter Cari Spencer contributed to this story.

This story was originally published on MPRNews.org
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Why some Minnesota Republicans are declaring their vote for Harris

Mary Murphy — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 17:51:49 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — The national “Republicans for Harris” wave has gained supporters in Minnesota, with former Gov. Arne Carlson at the forefront.

The campaign recently published a press release listing 10 Minnesota Republicans who have voiced support for the Harris-Walz ticket. Carlson, who served as Minnesota’s governor from 1991 to 1999, said in the Oct. 3 release that “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are the perfect team and the right tonic for this moment in history.”

The list also includes former Republican operative Tom Horner, former deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP Michael Brodkorb, as well as lifelong Minnesota Republicans Linda Hennen, Angela Rice and Vincent Wang.

Republicans for Harris is advertising nationally, with Former Rep. Liz Cheney and hundreds of former White House staffers for Republican administrations voicing their support for the Democratic ticket.

Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Isaac Schultz said several of the Republicans who have come out in support of the Harris-Walz ticket had previously endorsed Walz for governor.

“So it’s not shocking at all to me that they are supporting him as he runs for vice president now, but I also don’t think that is any sort of an indicator as to the support for President Trump,” Schultz said.

Schultz explained that he would question whether some of these Republicans “can call themselves Republicans,” given their endorsements in recent years, and calling out the fact that Carlson and Brodkorb voted Democrat in 2022.

“Governor Carlson was an independent-Republican in the ’90s, but he has consistently endorsed Democrats in recent election cycles,” Schultz said. “I don’t think he has supported a Republican candidate for statewide office in at least 10 years.”

Horner, one of the “Republicans for Harris,” said he still supports Republicans, but that he feels more freedom to vote outside of his party since retiring from politics.

“Republicans who hold office or who want to hold office do have different pressures and lead them to support Donald Trump,” Horner said. “Clearly, this is the party of Donald Trump.”

Horner said he feels Walz can take things a step too far at times, listing the program to offer free breakfast and lunch at the state’s participating schools as an example. Even so, he finds himself supporting the Walz-Harris ticket.

“We’ve lost the ability to compromise. … Both parties have moved a little bit right or left,” Horner said in reference to the Minnesota Legislature. “I think the Republican Party, though, has moved much farther to the right, and in a lot of ways, has lost what I’ve always thought to be the core conservative principles.”

Brodkorb, who served as deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP from 2009 to 2011, also referenced these “lost principles” in his reasons for supporting Harris.

“My support of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz is not about abandoning the Republican Party,” Brodkorb said in a press release. “It is about standing up for the principles the party once represented — principles that will be at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House.”

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is not supporting Harris, explained what he makes of some Republicans turning to Harris in Minnesota.

“If you haven’t closed a sale with your product in nearly 20 years, it’s long past the time to get a better product, better marketing, or both,” Pawlenty said. “For statewide elections, that’s where Minnesota's Republican party now finds itself.”

Pawlenty was referring to the last time a Republican won a statewide election in Minnesota in 2006, when he won a second term as governor.

Pawlenty said Republicans need to “claw back” the support they’ve lost in the suburbs, and that he hopes disaffected Republicans work to improve their party in Minnesota rather than support Harris.

“We need to build a coalition that includes base Republicans but also welcomes all types of Republicans and independent voters, too,” Pawlenty said. “A statewide candidate that doesn’t have that type of political appeal and skill will fail here.”

Schultz, on the other hand, said that from his time door-knocking this election season, he believes the Minnesota Republican party “has never been more united.”

“President Trump represents a far stronger coalition of voters than what I see for Harris and Walz,” Schultz said, pointing to blue-collar workers and members of the Teamsters trade union in Minnesota who have declared support for Trump.

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Trump campaign misses Oct. 10 due date, owes St. Cloud $209K for rally

Trent Abrego — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:07:35 GMT

ST. CLOUD — The Donald J. Trump presidential campaign has missed a due date to reimburse the City of St. Cloud $209,000 for costs related to a July 27 rally at St. Cloud State University.

The invoice was sent on Sept. 10 to a Virginia PO box associated with Donald J. Trump For President 2024 Inc. The invoice noted a due date of Oct. 10.

City Administrator Matt Staehling confirmed to St. Cloud LIVE on Friday, Oct. 11, that the Trump campaign failed to meet that due date. Staehling said the city plans to send a second notice.

The rally's costs include police and fire department costs, public services, costs relating to a construction change order of University Drive, and IT department services, according to the city.

The rally with Trump and running mate JD Vance at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center attracted thousands on July 27. SCSU Athletic Director Holly Schreiner previously told St. Cloud LIVE that the campaign paid the university's $35,000 fee on Aug. 1.

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told St. Cloud LIVE he was confident the city would get paid.

“I don't trust the reporting on this at all,” he said on Oct. 4. “Bottom line is the Trump campaign paid in advance, and now the implication is they're somehow not paying their side of it, when we know that a big part of that was the Secret Service.”

“The Trump campaign is handling all of the invoices that they get all across the country, and it's taken care of,” said Emmer, who is also chair of Trump's Minnesota reelection campaign. “If there's any responsibility whatsoever that remains on the Trump campaign, I have no doubt that they will resolve that and take care of it. But the reporting on this is, frankly, it's been, in some cases, kind of honest, and in other cases just flat-out dishonest, trying to suggest that or imply that the Trump campaign is stiffing the city of St Cloud. That's just not true.”

Staehling in an email Friday morning, Oct. 11, said, "They may have paid SCSU in advance for the National Hockey Center venue ... but St. Cloud was not paid in advance."

NBC News recently reported that the Trump campaign owes more than $750,000 to five jurisdictions, with some bills dating back to 2016.

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Gwen Walz speaks at Minnetonka abortion rally in mid-campaign Minnesota appearance

Mary Murphy — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 17:15:11 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz made an appearance in Minnesota on Thursday, Oct. 3, when she spoke at a reproductive freedom rally in Minnetonka.

The exclusive event at Unmapped Brewery Co. drew nearly 250 spectators Thursday night, with extra onlookers from the streets. Organized by the “Democratic Coordinated Campaign Canvass,” a Harris-Walz campaign representative said at the rally they decided to stop in Minnesota on their way to Nebraska.

Gwen Walz captured the crowd’s attention at the end of the rally when she took the stage and detailed her personal experience with infertility and with intrauterine insemination.

“When the Alabama Supreme Court ruling came down, it brought Tim and I to our knees watching people get turned away from clinics,” she said, explaining that was when she and her husband, vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, decided to share their story with the public.

Gwen Walz asked audience members if they “tuned into the debate the other night,” using the recent vice presidential debate to take a jab at presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“I think Tim took Trump to task for causing chaos and cruelty for women all across the country,” Gwen Walz said, going on to say Trump was responsible for the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion guaranteed by Roe v. Wade. “Clearly, JD Vance is a smooth talker, but as a longtime teacher, let me just say, in our classrooms, we believe in the facts, so here is a fact: Donald Trump is the one who took down Roe.”

The crowd chanted “Mind your own business,” a term popularized by Tim Walz early in his candidacy. Throughout the night, other slogans like “Our choice,” “Turn the page,” “When we fight, we win,” echoed outside.

The rally featured several prominent female politicians from Minnesota: U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar and former Minnesota Sen. Kelly Morrison, who is running for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District.

When Klobuchar spoke, she touted Minnesota for being the first state to codify abortion after the overturning of Roe, saying, “Nobody does it better than Minnesota.”

Klobuchar continued to urge Minnesotans to get out and vote, door knock and make phone calls.

“Plus, I want to show up my colleagues one more time and say ‘Sorry, we had the highest voter turnout in the United States,’ ” Klobuchar said.

Smith mirrored Klobuchar’s remarks, praised Tim Walz’s performance in the debate and spoke of her experiences working at Planned Parenthood.

Ann Johnson-Stewart, who is running in Minnetonka to fill the only open Minnesota Senate seat that will determine the Senate’s majority this fall, also joined the rally.

“Despite what my opponent says, the threat to women and their families is real,” Johnson-Stewart said. “We cannot let that happen in Minnesota.”

A longtime Minnesota resident, Linda Heuer, spoke of how this election has been different for her, and why she came to the abortion rally on Thursday.

“When I went to high school, I started in ’68 and abortion was illegal, and when I got out of school, it was legal,” Heuer said. “I’ve always been a Democrat, and this time, this feels important enough to me to just get involved. So there’s just so many factors in why this is so important, just respect for women, women’s rights, my granddaughter’s rights.”

Heuer added that she feels proud to be a Minnesotan during this time.

“It’s exciting, it feels great to have our name out there,” she said. “I’ll be online or something and someone will ask me, ‘Where are you from?’ and I say I’m from Minnesota and they say ‘Oh! Where Gov. Walz is from!’ ”

The rally was one of Gwen Walz’s few public appearances in Minnesota since leaving for the campaign trail in August. She has made four total, with her last one in Rochester just after the presidential debate, according to the Harriz-Walz campaign.

This stop was one of 44 in the Harris-Walz campaign’s “Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour.” The campaign hopes to make 60 stops total across the country before the election.

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Minnesota GOP Rep. on Walz: ‘I don’t think he’s the same governor we’ve known’

Mary Murphy — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:07:00 GMT

MANKATO — Dissenters of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s gathered in his hometown on Tuesday night, Oct. 1, cheering for Republican Sen. JD Vance and sneering at Walz as they watched the pivotal vice presidential debate at a GOP-organized viewing party.

The watch party, organized by the Minnesota GOP and Trump 47, a citizen-led group, had appearances from Republican Congressmen Pete Stauber of Minnesota’s 8th District and Brad Finstad of Minnesota’s 1st District. Both congressmen voiced criticism of the current governor throughout the night.

“I don’t think he’s exactly the same governor that we’ve known,” Finstad said after the debate. “He sure doesn’t seem to be as comfortable in front of the camera tonight as he has been over the years.”

Before the debate, the Minnesota congressman addressed the crowd, saying Minnesotans know what to expect from Walz.

“An election is really about a resume, and his resume speaks for itself, and we’re all living under it, right?” Finstad said. “He’s going to try to tell us that he wants to turn the page. We need a new book, and we’re going to hear that tonight.”

Stauber echoed Finstad’s comments, saying he thinks Minnesotans have been let down by the governor.

“Minnesotans in general, very disappointed with what has happened,” Stauber said. “You go from a $19 billion surplus to a $10 billion tax increase. He watched Minneapolis burn for three days; as a former cop, he was devastating to law enforcement.”

Stauber added that he feels there is limited support for Walz, and that his support comes from a specific faction of the population.

“I tell people that he’s very unpopular,” Stauber said. “He has pleased just a small fraction of the people, and they’re the far extreme left of his party.”

Just over 60 Republicans gathered for the viewing at the Kato Entertainment Center in Mankato, where collective cheers, laughs, claps and boos could be heard throughout the 90-minute debate, which was hosted and livestreamed by CBS News.

Yvonne Simon, chair of Blue Earth Republicans from Lake Crystal, was one of the main organizers of the viewing party.

Before the debate started, Simon carefully placed “TrumpVance” stickers at each seat, and spoke about why she, as a Minnesotan, doesn’t support Walz.

“Almost everything he’s done as governor I didn’t like,” she said. “I didn’t like what happened in Minneapolis, that he didn’t stop the burning and looting and rioting. I don’t like socialist plans that he’s put in place, things like illegal immigrants getting driver’s licenses and being registered to vote because of that.”

Terry Stier, chief of police in Belle Plaine, running for Minnesota House seat 22B, echoed this as one of his main concerns with Walz, though he clarified, “He’s still my governor.”

“My officers are directly affected by the civil unrest, and over the last four years, since that, we’ve had a lot of police reform, a lot of things that, in my opinion, make cops less safe on the streets,” Stier said.

Stier added after the debate that he felt Walz was misleading in some of his comments and focused too heavily on metropolitan areas.

“A lot of things are not true what he was saying about Minnesota,” Stier said. “But he needs to focus more on Greater Minnesota, rather than just the City of Minneapolis, which is all he talked about. There’s a lot of great people that live in Minnesota and they don’t live in Minneapolis.”

On one positive note, Finstad pointed out that he was happy Minnesotans were gathering to watch the debate and explained the differences in what people saw Tuesday night compared to the presidential debate.

“Not even from a Republican standpoint, but I think from a USA standpoint, this was actually a pretty healthy debate,” he said. “You’re actually hearing some deeper conversations about the economy, about the border. I think we as a country are winning by hearing, hearing what they all had to say.”

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Tim Walz, JD Vance clash at policy-heavy vice presidential debate

By Steve Holland and Stephanie Kelly / Reuters — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 02:27:59 GMT

NEW YORK — Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance clashed over the Middle East crisis, immigration, taxes, climate change and energy on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at a vice presidential debate whose first half was heavy on policy disagreements but light on personal attacks.

The two rivals, who have savaged each other on the campaign trail, largely avoided going after each other, instead saving their fire for the candidates at the top of their tickets, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

Vance questioned why Harris had not done more to address inflation, immigration and the economy while serving in President Joe Biden's administration, mounting a consistent attack line that Trump often failed to deliver while debating Harris last month.

"If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle-class problems, then she ought to do them now — not when asking for promotion, but in the job the American people gave her 3-1/2 years ago," Vance said.

Walz described Trump as an unstable leader who had prioritized billionaires and turned Vance's criticism on its head on the issue of immigration, attacking Trump for pressuring Republicans in Congress to abandon a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year.

"Most of us want to solve this," Walz said of immigration. "Donald Trump had four years to do this, and he promised you, Americans, how easy it will be."

The debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York began with the escalating crisis in the Middle East, after Israel continued its assault on southern Lebanon on Tuesday and Iran mounted retaliatory missiles strikes against Israel.

Walz said Trump is too "fickle" and sympathetic to strongmen to be trusted to handle the growing conflict, while Vance asserted that Trump had made the world more secure during his term.

Asked whether he would support a preemptive strike against Iran by Israel, Vance suggested he would defer to Israel's judgment, while Walz did not directly answer the question.

Walz, 60, the liberal governor of Minnesota and a former high school teacher, and Vance, 40, a bestselling author and conservative firebrand U.S. senator from Ohio, have portrayed themselves as two sons of America's Midwestern heartland with deeply opposing views on the issues gripping the country.

Seeking a moment

The rivals each sought to land a lasting blow at the last remaining debate before the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Harris was widely viewed as the winner of her sole debate with Trump on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, which was watched by an estimated 67 million people.

That square-off did little to change the trajectory of an extremely close election battle. While Harris has edged ahead in national polls, most surveys show voters remain fairly evenly divided in the seven states that will decide the November election.

Political analysts say vice presidential debates can be fiery but generally do not alter the outcome of an election. That said, even a slight shift in public opinion could prove decisive with the race on a razor's edge five weeks before Election Day.

With no more debates planned, the stand-off allows Walz and Vance to make closing arguments on behalf of their campaigns just as early voting ramps up across the country.

Walz was asked about a report on Tuesday that he was not in China during the violent 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, as he had previously claimed.

"I'm a knucklehead at times," he said. "I got there that summer and misspoke on this. So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protests, and from that I learned a lot about what it means to be in governance."

Vance, meanwhile, defended his running mate despite having criticized Trump ahead of the 2016 election.

"I was wrong about Donald Trump," he said. "I was wrong, first of all, because I believe some of the media stories that turned out to be dishonest fabrications of his record. But most importantly, Donald Trump delivered for the American people."

Despite Vance's having written "Hillbilly Elegy," a popular 2016 memoir, U.S. voters have a negative view of him, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows, with 51% of registered voters saying they view him unfavorably, compared with 39% who view him favorably. Meanwhile Walz was viewed favorably by 44% of registered voters, with 43% reporting an unfavorable view in the Sept. 20-23 poll.

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Watch Live: JD Vance and Tim Walz face off in 2024's sole VP debate

Reuters — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:59:16 GMT

Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance, U.S. politicians whose histories and rhetoric have amassed more headlines than many past No. 2 candidates, are going head to head Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the only vice presidential debate before the Nov. 5 election.

Walz, 60, a liberal governor and former high school teacher, and Vance, 40, a bestselling author and conservative firebrand senator, will portray themselves as sons of America's Midwestern heartland but polar opposites on the issues gripping the U.S.

Walz has called his Republican opponents “weird," and Vance came under fire for past comments disparaging some Democrats as "childless cat ladies."

Aides to the two men reportedly expected fireworks during the 90-minute debate, starting at 8 p.m. CST, at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York as they defend themselves and speak up for the candidates at the top of each ticket, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.

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MAP: Gov. Tim Walz's travels as VP candidate

Hunter Dunteman — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 18:30:27 GMT

It's been a whirlwind for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz since he was called upon to join Kamala Harris on the Democratic presidential ticket.

Harris announced her pick on Aug. 6, ahead of an appearance alongside the Democratic governor in Philadelphia.

Since then, Walz has appeared at rallies, campaign fundraisers and union and party conventions across the United States.

The Harris-Walz campaign is placing extra emphasis on battleground states, making multiple appearances in states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Here's a look at everywhere Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been since Aug. 6:

Red icons on the map indicate locations Walz has already traveled, while orange icons indicate future travel plans.

Sept. 23, 2024

New York

After arriving in New York the night before, Walz appeared at a series of campaign receptions across the nation's most populous city. He returned to St. Paul that night.

Sept. 22, 2024

New York

After spending the morning in St. Paul, the governor traveled to LaGuardia Airport in New York ahead of a next-day appearance.

Sept. 21, 2024

Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The governor flew into Allentown ahead of a campaign rally in Bethlehem. There, he was joined by Emmy award-winning actress Liza Colón-Zayas and Grammy-winning and Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor Anthony Ramos.

Sept. 20, 2024

The Harris-Walz campaign did not release any schedule for Walz on this date.

Sept. 19, 2024

Washington, D.C.

Walz joined a session of The Business Roundtable's quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C. before remotely conducting internal meetings. He returned to St. Paul after.

Sept. 18, 2024

St. Paul

The governor traveled back to St. Paul, where he conducted state business.

Sept. 17, 2024

Macon, Georgia

After arriving in Macon the day prior, Walz held a political event Tuesday in the same city.

Atlanta

In the afternoon hours, the governor traveled to Atlanta, where he engaged in additional political events.

Asheville, North Carolina

In the evening, Walz then flew to North Carolina where he held a campaign rally in Asheville.

Sept. 16, 2024

Macon, Georgia

The governor traveled by plane to Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, where he prepared for events the following day.

Sept. 15, 2024

St. Paul

Walz remained in St. Paul conducting state business. No public events were held.

Sept. 14, 2024

Duluth and Superior

The governor arrived at the Duluth International Airport before crossing to Superior for a rally.

Sept. 13, 2024

Lansing, Michigan

After departing from Grand Rapids, Walz flew to Lansing, where he participated in "political events," according to the campaign.

Mosinee and Wausau, Wisconsin

In the afternoon, Walz again traveled by plane to an airport in Mosinee, Wisconsin, then traveled to Wausau for more appearances.

Sept. 12, 2024

Grand Rapids, Michigan

The governor flew from Las Vegas to Grand Rapids, where he appeared for a rally.

Sept. 9, 2024

Dallas

Walz flew to Dallas, where he delivered remarks at a campaign reception.

Reno and Las Vegas, NV

Later in the day, he flew to Reno for an appearance before taking a second flight to Las Vegas.

Sept. 8, 2024

St. Paul

The governor returned to St. Paul where he held internal meetings without any public appearances.

Sept. 7, 2024

Washington, DC

Walz delivered the keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign Annual National Dinner.

Sept. 5, 2024

Erie, PA

The governor appeared at multiple campaign engagements before holding a rally.

Sept. 4, 2024

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Walz flew to eastern Pennsylvania to join a campaign engagement in Lancaster.

Pittsburgh

Hours later, Walz flew across the state to Pittsburgh for another campaign engagement.

Sept. 3, 2024

St. Paul, Minnesota

The governor returned to St. Paul, where he conducted internal meetings and regular business without any public appearances.

Sept. 2, 2024

St. Paul, Minnesota

Walz and his wife, Gwen, hosted a gathering with local labor leaders from across the state of Minnesota.

Milwaukee

The Governor delivered remarks at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council’s Labor Fest at the Summerfest grounds.

Sept. 1, 2024

Falcon Heights, Minnesota

The governor appeared at the Minnesota State Fair with his family, where he served ice cream to fairgoers and saw the sights.

Aug. 30, 2024

Bethesda, Maryland

Walz and his wife, Gwen attended a fundraising event Friday evening at the Bethesda residence of Susan Ness and Lawrence Schneider.

McLean, Virginia

The governor and his wife delivered remarks at a campaign gathering at Terry McAuliffe’s residence in McLean.

Aug. 29, 2024

Savannah, Georgia

The governor made a morning appearance to kick off a Harris-Walz bus tour across Georgia and recorded an interview with CNN.

Raleigh, North Carolina

In the afternoon, Walz stopped for milkshakes and thanked volunteers at a phone bank.

Aug. 28, 2024

Boston

Walz spoke to firefighters from across the globe at the International Association of Firefighters Convention at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Savannah, Georgia

The governor traveled to Savannah, Georgia to kick off a bus tour with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Aug. 23-27

St. Paul

The governor returned to St. Paul on Aug. 23 and conducted internal meetings Aug. 26-27.

Aug. 21-22, 2024

Chicago

Walz spoke at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Aug. 21, where he formally accepted the party's nomination as vice presidential candidate. He remained in Chicago on Aug. 22 to attend presidential candidate Kamala Harris' keynote address.

Earlier in the day on Aug. 22, he spoke at a breakfast gathering of Minnesota's delegation to the DNC.

Aug. 20, 2024

Milwaukee

In the midst of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Walz traveled alongside Harris to Milwaukee, for a rally at Fiserv Forum. There, the duo celebrated the outcome of a ceremonial roll call confirming the Democratic ticket.

Aug. 19, 2024

Chicago

The governor was in Chicago for the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

Aug. 18, 2024

Western Pennsylvania

Walz and Harris flew into Pittsburgh for a bus tour of Allegheny and Beaver counties, where they made appearances at a restaurant, convenience store, fire department, high school and local Democratic field office.

Aug. 17, 2024

La Vista, Nebraska

The governor and his wife, Gwen, spoke at a campaign event in an Omaha suburb, roughly four hours southeast of his native Butte, Nebraska.

Aug. 15, 2024

Newport, Rhode Island

Walz delivered remarks on behalf of the Harris Victory Fund shortly after 1 p.m.

Southampton, New York

Walz delivered remarks on behalf of the Harris Victory Fund shortly at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Aug. 14, 2024

Denver

The governor appeared at a fundraiser at the Phipps mansion in Denver, which raised an estimated $3 million.

Boston

Later that same day, Walz appeared at a campaign fundraiser at the Newbury Boston Hotel. The Harris-Walz ticket raised more than $1.2 million that day.

Aug. 13, 2024

Los Angeles

Walz spoke at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees International Convention.

Newport Beach, California

Hours later, he traveled 45 miles south for a campaign reception.

Aug. 10, 2024

Las Vegas

The governor appeared alongside Harris at a rally inside the Thomas & Mack Center.

Aug. 9, 2024

Glendale, Arizona

Walz and Harris spoke at a rally inside the Desert Diamond Arena.

Aug. 7, 2024

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

In his first Midwest appearance as Harris' running mate, Walz spoke alongside Harris at a country music festival ground surrounded by corn fields.

Detroit

Hours later, the duo spoke to United Auto Workers members at the union's Detroit-area hall.

Aug. 6, 2024

Philadelphia

In his first appearance as Kamala Harris' running mate, Walz spoke alongside his running mate at Temple University.

NOTE: This information is compiled from multiple sources, including news releases from the Harris-Walz campaign, social media websites and other media outlets.]]>