NEW YORK, Oct. 2 - The candidates for vice president of the United States for the 2024 presidential election held their first and only debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, focusing on a wide range of policy issues.
Forty-year-old Republican Ohio Senator James David Vance and 60-year-old Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mostly defended their presidential candidates, attacking the other party's presidential candidate rather than attacking each other directly.
The debate began with foreign policy and the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, followed by climate change and the impact of Hurricane Helene.
The debate also covered immigration and border control, the economy, leadership, abortion, gun violence, inflation, housing, health insurance, child care, and the election itself. The two candidates had a respectful debate, shaking hands at the beginning and end. Vance and Walz even found common ground or agreement on some issues.
Yet the microphones were muted as the two sharply exchanged views on the proposed mass deportations of illegal immigrants and did not stop even after time had expired.
After the first presidential debate, held on September 10 in Philadelphia, another debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is not expected, with five weeks to go until the general election.
At the moment, support for Harris and Trump remains undecided in key swing states, and it is unclear whether Tuesday's debate will deepen the divide in the presidential contest.
Tamara Peterson, a Brooklyn resident, told Xinhua news agency: "There are a lot of attacks and lies in the campaign and people don't know what to believe anymore. And I think once someone says it, they think it's true." Peterson stressed the need to do research and check facts.
Asked what the country needs most now, Peterson replied: "Unity."
"We need someone in power who is not trying to divide us, who is trying to unite us and who cares about us," Peterson added.
The 2024 US general election will be held on 5 November, with early voting beginning on 20 September in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia.
Xinhua/ gnews - RoZ
PHOTO - Xinhua/Li Rui
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