'Vance Won!': Blundering Tim Walz Mixes Up Iran and Israel TWICE During VP Face-Off — and Declares He's 'Pals With School Shooter'
Most viewers who tuned in to watch the vice presidential debate on Tuesday night believe Tim Walz lost the face-off to J.D. Vance.
Oct. 2 2024, Published 9:45 a.m. ET
Bumbling Tim Walz's first and only vice presidential debate against J.D. Vance was marked with multiple gaffes and blunders.
And RadarOnline.com can reveal the self-proclaimed "knucklehead" not only mixed up Iran and Israel twice during the first few minutes of the debate, but he also mistakenly claimed he is "friends with school shooters".
The Minnesota governor, while answering a question about gun violence in schools across the country, said: "I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I've become friends with school shooters. I've seen it."
Walz, in the debate clip above, accidentally said he has "become friends with school shooters" instead of "school shooter survivors".
Walz immediately came under fire for the monumental slip-up, and scores of critics – including former President Donald Trump – rushed to social media to lambast the 60-year-old veep candidate.
Trump, 78, responded on his platform Truth Social, saying: "Did Tampon Tim just say he has 'become friends with school shooters?'
"He isn't even qualified to be Governor, let alone Vice President. Walz and Kamala DO NOT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!"
As RadarOnline.com reported, Walz has also come under fire for falsely claiming he was in Hong Kong during the infamous Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. He was really in Nebraska
Walz was asked about the lie during the debate against Vance, 40, on Tuesday night in New York City, and failed to provide an adequate answer.
J.D. Vance and Tim Walz shake hands after the surprisingly civil debate in NYC on Tuesday night.
Walz, when confronted by the CBS News moderators about the fabrication, said: "All I said on this was as I got there that summer and misspoke on this, so I will just – that's what I've said.
"So I was in Hong Kong and China during the democracy protest, and from that, I learned a lot of what needed to be in governance."
Viewers who tuned in to the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle took to X to share their thoughts about the Minnesota governor's performance – and say who they thought won the surprisingly civil faceoff between Walz and Vance.
One user wrote: "JD Vance just won big. And it wasn't even close."
Scores of viewers, like the X user here, rushed to social media to tout Vance and slam Walz after the vice presidential debate.
Another said: "JD Vance schooled Tim Walz and left them all in shock. "It's hilarious how they can't handle the truth. Vance is a champion for real issues, while Walz just fumbles around."
A third viewer added: "Vance was polished, believable, composed, unflappable, compassionate, and quite likable! "Waltz wasn't terrible, but was clearly outclassed."
But other viewers and political experts backed Walz after Tuesday night's debate and his ability to corner Vance on Trump and the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Democratic strategist Caitlin Legacki said: "Expect to see the final exchange on Jan. 6 everywhere.
"It was a pretty mild debate, but Walz's answer was passionate and crisp, which provided a stunning contrast to JD Vance's refusal to admit Trump lost in 2020."
Walz was confronted about his false claim he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
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Policy adviser Gregg Nunziata added: "VP debates don't matter. Vance won on the points all night long.
"But in these last five minutes, Walz destroyed Vance on a threshold question of character and democracy."
Several different polls taken after the debate found Vance beating Walz in Tuesday night's face-off.
A CNN poll favored Vance over Walz 51% to 49%, while a CBS poll also favored the Ohio senator over the Minnesota governor 42% to 41%.
Politico, which published their poll Wednesday morning, found Vance and Walz tied with an even 50-50 split among men and women who tuned in to watch the debate.
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