Whitmer: Vance a better debater than Trump

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) weighed in on Tuesday’s vice presidential forum, arguing Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is better at debates than his running mate, former President Trump.

Whitmer also praised Vice President Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), during her Tuesday appearance on the late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” before complimenting his Republican counterpart. 

“I think he’s feeling good,” Whitmer told host Jimmy Kimmel, speaking about Walz. “I think he’s relieved it’s over; everyone is when you walk out of a debate. I think he did really well.”

“You know, JD Vance was a better debater than Donald Trump,” she continued. “Donald Trump should have taken some lessons from him.”

Whitmer added, “But I think Walz brought it home. I think he delivered the W.”

The two running mates squared off for the first and likely only time Tuesday night during a CBS News-hosted debate in New York City. Vance performed well during the showdown, according to polls of viewers. He went after Harris’s policy record but also kept his cool when faced with pressure. 

Both candidates refrained from name-calling, producing a debate performance that was heavier on policy and lighter on personal insults. 

About 42 percent of debate watchers said Vance won the debate, according to a CBS News poll, narrowly edging Walz, who was declared the winner by 41 percent. An additional 17 percent said it was a tie.

The Ohio senator had a similar edge in a CNN survey, which found that 50 percent of viewers said he won Tuesday night’s debate, while 49 percent sided with Walz.

Voters were evenly split on the winners along party lines in Politico’s snap poll following the forum, but more independents, 34 percent, said Walz was victorious compared to the 25 percent who said the same of Vance.

Vance’s outing earned him praise from one of Trump’s prominent critics, former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, who said the first-term senator was “significantly more eloquent” than the ex-president. 

“I was struck by the fact that JD Vance is a significantly more eloquent Donald Trump,” she said. “Watching that, I don’t agree with JD Vance on quite a bit, but he speaks to MAGA in a way that he comes off as an incredibly effective communicator.”