J.D. Vance Makes Shameless Bid to Cover for Trump With His Debate Plan
Typically, an election cycle has two or three presidential debates and just one showdown between the vice presidential candidates. But J.D. Vance wants to mix that formula up.On Thursday, the Ohio senator announced that he would commit himself to more debates against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, believing that the “American people deserve as many debates as possible.”“Not only do I accept the CBS debate on October 1st, I accept the CNN debate on September 18th as well. I look forward to seeing you at both!” Vance wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning.But there may be more than meets the eye to the unprecedented second debate invitation, as September 18 holds a different kind of significance for the Republican campaign: It also marks Donald Trump’s sentencing date after a New York court found the former real estate mogul guilty of felony business fraud charges.It’s not yet clear if Walz has agreed to the second debate—but doing so could divert attention from the first criminal sentencing of a former president in U.S. history.“CNN invited both Senator Vance and Governor Walz to a Vice Presidential debate this fall, and Senator Vance has accepted,” a CNN spokesperson told CNBC in a statement.“We are always in communication with the campaigns around opportunities for the American public to hear from leading candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, and we look forward to this programming in the fall,” the spokesperson said.
Typically, an election cycle has two or three presidential debates and just one showdown between the vice presidential candidates. But J.D. Vance wants to mix that formula up.
On Thursday, the Ohio senator announced that he would commit himself to more debates against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, believing that the “American people deserve as many debates as possible.”
“Not only do I accept the CBS debate on October 1st, I accept the CNN debate on September 18th as well. I look forward to seeing you at both!” Vance wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning.
But there may be more than meets the eye to the unprecedented second debate invitation, as September 18 holds a different kind of significance for the Republican campaign: It also marks Donald Trump’s sentencing date after a New York court found the former real estate mogul guilty of felony business fraud charges.
It’s not yet clear if Walz has agreed to the second debate—but doing so could divert attention from the first criminal sentencing of a former president in U.S. history.
“CNN invited both Senator Vance and Governor Walz to a Vice Presidential debate this fall, and Senator Vance has accepted,” a CNN spokesperson told CNBC in a statement.
“We are always in communication with the campaigns around opportunities for the American public to hear from leading candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, and we look forward to this programming in the fall,” the spokesperson said.
