Media reports said that although vice presidential debates usually have little impact on election results, the confrontation between Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz is expected to attract a lot of attention, as this could be the last debate between representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties, as presidential candidates - Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump - have yet to agree on a debate schedule, while there is still more than a month until the election.

Starting with the Middle East situation

The vice presidential debate came hours after Iran launched more than 200 missiles at Israel, bringing the Middle East to the forefront of the conversation as the usual candidate debates begin with domestic issues.

Tim Walz began by saying “remember when it all started,” referring to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. He said Israel’s ability to defend itself is “absolutely fundamental.”

The New York Times said Mr. Walz's answers were somewhat hesitant and he at one point confused Iran and Israel, referring to "Israel and its proxy forces." He then turned to attack Mr. Trump.

When it was Mr. Vance’s turn, the Republican candidate began his answer with a brief introduction of his background. He then emphasized that Israel must do what is necessary to keep its country safe.

“Many Americans are worried about the chaos in the world and the feeling that the American dream is unattainable,” Mr. Vance said, then praised Mr. Donald Trump for “always making the world safer.”

Climate change

Hurricane Helene and climate change were the next topics to come up. Vance was asked what the Trump administration’s responsibility would be to try to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and said the Republican candidate supports clean air and clean water, adding that Trump wants a “cleaner, safer” environment.

Walz continued his attack on former President Trump, mentioning that Trump had previously called climate change a “hoax.” The Minnesota governor praised the Biden-Harris administration for making major investments to combat climate change.

“Farmers in my state of Minnesota know that climate change is real after witnessing consecutive droughts and floods,” said Mr. Walz.

Immigration issues

Senator Vance emphasized his stance on mass deportations of immigrants, blaming Ms. Harris for the “historic immigration crisis.” He said Ms. Harris’s “open borders” stance had led to mass child separations, accusing the current vice president of allowing Mexican drug cartels to operate freely and using children as drug mules.

Governor Walz praised Ms. Harris as the only person in the race who has prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drug crimes, noting that Ms. Harris was once California's attorney general.

Each candidate tried to talk more about immigration even though time was running out, forcing the moderator to temporarily mute their microphones.