Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) received stellar reviews for his debate performance on Tuesday night against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), with pundits describing him as “sharp” and offering a “commanding performance.”
“For Vance, it was a commanding performance. For Walz, it was a nervous ramble. For the audience, it was the most civil and substantive debate of the Trump era,” wrote Ross Douthat, a columnist for The New York Times.
“I was struck by the fact that JD Vance is a significantly more eloquent Donald Trump,” said Alyssa Farah Griffin, “The View” co-host and a CNN commentator during a panel. “Watching that, I don’t agree with JD Vance on quite a bit, but he speaks to MAGA in a way that he comes off as an incredibly effective communicator.”
Vance’s performance was even noted by Democrats, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
“You know, JD Vance was a better debater than Donald Trump,” she told Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday after the debate. “Donald Trump should have taken some lessons from him.”