Former President Donald Trump voiced concerns about the upcoming vice presidential debate, casting doubts on its fairness and taking jabs at his opponent’s intellect.
During an interview with Kellyanne Conway on Fox Nation, Trump expressed worry that his running mate, JD Vance, may face a biased environment in Tuesday’s debate while mocking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Vance’s opponent.
“They’re so rigged and so stacked. You’ll see it tomorrow with JD — it’ll be stacked,” Trump, 78, said to Conway, his former White House adviser and campaign manager.
He also criticised Walz, calling him a “moron” and questioning how he was chosen for the debate. “He’s going up against a moron. A total moron.
How she picked him is unbelievable,” Trump added. “There’s something wrong with that guy. He’s sick. There’s never been a time in our country when people wanted change so badly.”
Vance, 40, who is set to debate Walz, suggested during a recent rally in Michigan that the moderators might be biased, aligning with Trump’s concerns. The Trump and Vance camps have been vocal about the potential for an unfair debate setting.
Earlier this week, Trump sharply contrasts Vance and Walz on Truth Social. He praised Vance as “Brilliant J.D. Vance” while disparaging Walz as “the Highly Inarticulate ‘Tampon’ Tim Walz.” Trump also took the opportunity to criticise Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he dubbed “Cognitively Challenged, Lyin’ Kamala Harris.” He speculated that Harris might fabricate facts to distract from what he described as her administration’s failures.
.@realDonaldTrump previews tomorrow's #VPdebate and cracks open the door on another possible presidential debate with @KamalaHarris.#HerestheDeal @foxnation pic.twitter.com/XZ1jZQLH8q
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 1, 2024
Despite Trump’s harsh rhetoric, both campaigns have attempted to temper expectations leading into the debate, which will be held at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Walz, 60, has admitted feeling “nervous” about the event, while the Trump-Vance campaign emphasised that Walz is a skilled debater.
“Tim Walz is outstanding in debates. Good,” said senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller during a call with reporters. He described Walz as being “well-prepared” and predicted a more composed performance than Walz’s energetic appearances at rallies. “He’s not going to be the wildly gesticulating effeminate caricature we see at rallies,” Miller added.
The upcoming vice presidential debate will be the first—and potentially only—debate between the two campaigns. Trump, who declared himself the winner of his September 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, criticised the moderators during that event, accusing them of unfairly fact-checking him. Afterwards, Trump ruled out participating in any further debates.
Harris, 59, had used that earlier debate to provoke Trump, poking fun at his crowd sizes and using other tactics to ruffle him. Despite public suggestions from Conway that Trump should engage in another debate with Harris, he has resisted the idea thus far.
However, during his interview with Conway on Monday, Trump hinted at softening his stance. “I would love to have two or three more debates — I like it, I enjoy it, but they’re so rigged and stacked,” he said.
As the debate draws closer, Trump continues to express concerns about bias but remains confident in his running mate’s ability to perform well against Walz. The outcome of Tuesday night’s debate could significantly shape the direction of both campaigns.
