Looking to set the tone for the vice presidential debate, Donald Trump’s campaign on Monday called Democrat Tim Walz a “liar” and “chameleon” and dubbed him “traitor Tim” and “turncoat Tim.”
At the same time, they sought to raise expectations for Mr. Walz ahead of his 90-minute showdown with his Republican counterpart Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, saying the Minnesota Democrat is “very good” on the debate stage where he “faces quite a tough task” of convincing voters that Vice President Kamala Harris bears “zero responsibility for the economy and immigration disasters that she created.”
“It’s very tough to turn the page when you’re the one who wrote the book,” Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said in a conference call with reporters.
Mr. Miller challenged reports that Mr. Walz is nervous about squaring off with Mr. Vance.
“Tim Walz is very good in debates,” Mr. Miller said. “I want to repeat that: Tim Walz is very good in debates — really good. He’s been a politician for nearly 20 years. He’ll be very well prepared for tomorrow night.”
The 9 p.m. debate Tuesday at CBS Broadcast Center in New York is the last candidate showdown before the Nov. 5 election. Norah O’Donnell of “CBS Evening News” and Margaret Brennan, host of “Face the Nation,” will moderate the event.
There will be no live audience.
The faceoff offers Mr. Walz and Mr. Vance a chance to introduce themselves to a national audience and bolster their respective arguments in favor of Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump.
Mr. Walz will be looking to assure voters that Ms. Harris can be trusted to lead, and Mr. Vance will be looking to convince voters that they were better off with Mr. Trump in office.
A married father of three children, Mr. Vance was elected to the Senate in 2022. The 40-year-old is a graduate of Yale Law School and author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Mr. Walz is a 60-year-old married father of two. He was first elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Before that, he served over a decade in the U.S. House.
Both men served in the military.
Mr. Vance served in the U.S. Marines. Mr. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard.
Mr. Vance has tried to draw a contrast with Mr. Walz on that front.
Mr. Vance accused Mr. Walz of embellishing his service and retiring from the National Guard after learning that his battalion was being deployed to Iraq. Mr. Walz rejects the claim, and some fellow National Guard members have backed him up, saying he retired to run for Congress.
On Monday, the Trump campaign doubled down on the line of attack.
“When the nation called, Tim Walz hung up and ran the other way,” Tom Behrends, a former member of Mr. Walz’s National Guard unit, told reporters on a Trump campaign conference call. “After 24 years of Uncle Sam paying for him to be ready for combat, he decided to flush it down the toilet.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.