While there were plenty of policy disagreements, the debate was free of personal attacks. Despite their harsh campaigning against each other, the two candidates maintained a friendly tone, started the debate with a handshake and ended with small chit chat with their partners.

Here are the key highlights-

Vance addresses Trump’s 2020 Election loss denial

Vance argued that Trump called on protesters on January 6 to demonstrate peacefully and emphasizes that Trump left the White House in a peaceful manner as part of the typical transition of power.

In response to the Democratic narrative labelling Trump as a threat to democracy, Vance countered that the real danger lies in “the threat of censorship.” He claims that instead of engaging in debate, Harris prefers to silence critics by censoring what she deems misinformation.

Vance has said that Walz will “have my prayers, he’ll have my best wishes and he’ll have my help” if the Democrats win the election.

Moderators cut mics amidst heated arguments on immigration

CBS moderators had to cut the microphones of Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz as they clashed over immigration policy.

The interruption occurred when Vance sidestepped a question about the economy, continuing to speak over the moderators to respond to a fact check regarding his controversial comments about Haitian immigrants in Ohio. Walz also interjected, prompting the moderators to mute both candidates, stating that “no one watching could hear them.”

Unlike the September debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, where microphones were cut, Vance and Walz’s microphones remained on throughout the debate. However, both campaigns had agreed that CBS could mute them if necessary.

Trump hits out at Walz on his comments on school shootings, ‘Is he insane’

As the debate progressed Donald Trump hit out at Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz over remarks he made about befriending school shooters

Walz said in the debate that he has “become friends with school shooters.”

Trump quickly jumped on Walz’s misjudged comments, “Second time he has said, ‘I’ve been friends with school shooters.’ What does he mean by this? Is he insane?” Trump said on Truth Social.

It also brought criticism from one parent of a victim of a school shooting.

“My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. It’s absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz has befriended school shooters. Disqualifying,” Andrew Pollack said on X.

Vance endorses Trump’s ‘Freedom cities’ idea

In a close race for the quirkiest campaign proposal, Trump’s idea to hold a contest for designing and building 10 “Freedom Cities” from scratch on federal land ranks high. After introducing the concept in early 2023, Trump has largely shifted focus away from it, but Vance endorsed the topic during the debate.

“What Donald Trump has suggested is that we have a lot of federal lands not currently being utilized. These areas aren’t designated as national parks and could be developed for housing.”

In response, Walz responded by noting that federal lands are typically “there for a reason.”

Vance blames Mexico for America’s gun culture, Walz says Gus witnessed a shooting

Vance pointed out that nearly 90% of gun violence in the U.S. involves illegally obtained firearms. He attributed this issue to what he described as Kamala Harris’s “open border” policy, claiming it has led to a significant increase in illegal guns trafficked by Mexican drug cartels.

However, it’s important to note that most of these guns actually originate in the United States and are trafficked back into the country by the cartels. The real issue lies with the guns themselves, which are coming from within the U.S.

As a rebuttal Minnesota Governor Tim Walz shared that his son, Gus, had experienced gun violence while playing volleyball at a community center. Vance expressed his surprise and sympathy upon hearing this, marking a brief moment of kindness before they returned to their more combative exchanges about each other’s campaigns.

Trump answers abortion question too, denies ban

Trump has been live tweeting as the debate progressed and posted his comments on the key question hurting his campaign – abortion.

“EVERYONE KNOWS I WOULD NOT SUPPORT A FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WOULD, IN FACT, VETO IT, BECAUSE IT IS UP TO THE STATES TO DECIDE BASED ON THE WILL OF THEIR VOTERS (THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!). LIKE RONALD REAGAN BEFORE ME, I FULLY SUPPORT THE THREE EXCEPTIONS FOR RAPE, INCEST, AND THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER. I DO NOT SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATS RADICAL POSITION OF LATE TERM ABORTION LIKE, AS AN EXAMPLE, IN THE 7TH, 8TH, OR 9TH MONTH OR, IN CASE THERE IS ANY QUESTION, THE POSSIBILITY OF EXECUTION OF THE BABY AFTER BIRTH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!”

Vance vs Walz on Abortion

Vance toed Trump campaign line that they think abortion policy should be left to individual states. This comes as a u-turn from from initial comments, in 2022 when he was running for the Senate that would be open to abortion being “illegal nationally”.

“The proper way to handle this…is to let voters make these decisions, let the individual states make the abortion policy.”

Now, Vance says that Republicans need “to earn people’s trust back” and that Trump was advancing pro-family party.

Walz used the opportunity to pivot to abortion horror stories, including the story of Amanda Zurawski, who was denied an abortion in Texas. She qualified for emergency abortion care once developing sepsis during the pregnancy.

Vance responds to past comments on Trump

When Vance was questioned about past statements against Trump, Vance stated, it’s a change of heart.

Vance blamed media for creating false narratives that drove his perception of Trump stating, he “believed some of the media stories that turned out to be dishonest, fabrications of his record.”

He then went on to say that he was just wrong about Trump’s supposed successes.

Walz on Tiananmen Square massacre controversy

‘I misspoke on this’, Walz responded to Tiananmen Square massacre

Tim Walz agreed to making misleading comments after his old video resurfaced claiming that he was in Hong Kong during the1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, even when he wasn’t even there according to documents.

“My community knows who I am, they saw where I was at, I am the first to pour my heart into my community, I tried to do the best I can, and I’m a knucklehead at times, but it’s always been about that,” Walz said. “Those same people elected me to Congress.”

“Many times I will talk a lot, I will get caught up in the rhetoric , but being there, the impact it made, the difference it made in my life, I learned a lot about China,” Walz said.

Walz defends Harris’ economic proposals

Tim Walz praised Harris’s economic plans, asserting that he and his running mate “do believe in the middle class.” He highlighted the importance of increasing the housing supply to help reduce unaffordable housing prices.

“A house is much more than just an asset to be traded; it’s foundational to where you’re at,” he stated.

Walz also emphasized the need for tax cuts aimed at the middle class, including child tax credits, and called for fairness in the pricing of everyday goods.

Donald Trump responds to debate

“Walz is taking so many notes – Never seen a Candidate take more! He needs the notes to keep his brain intact,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

Trump praised his vice presidential pick, “JD is doing GREAT – A different level of Intelligence from Tampon Tim!”

Moments later, Trump added: “JD is steady and strong, Tampon Tim is sweating bullets, he is nervous and ‘weird.’”

Trump went on to comment again on Walz’s note-taking.

“More notes! Why can’t Walz just remember what he has to say? Low IQ!” Trump posted.

Vance and Walz on immigration policies

Rubbishing Biden’s immigration policies Vance claimed that Biden and Harris should have stuck with Trump’s immigration strategy, “Real leadership would be saying, ‘You know what? I screwed up. We’re going to go back to Donald Trump’s border policies.’ I wish that she would do that. It would be good for all of us.”

Walz countered by claiming Trump campaign is less interested in finding a solution than they are in “dehumaniz[ing] and villainiz[ing] other human beings.” He was referring to Vance’s claim about Haitian immigrants in Ohio.

Trump calls debate moderators ‘biased’

Donald Trump attacked CBS News moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell before the debate had even begun. “Both young ladies have been extremely biased Anchors!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Vance refuses to endorse Trump’s take on climate change

When asked if he agreed with Trump’s climate change denial, Vance remained silent on his take on climate change and immediately pivoted to attacking Harris. He however, didn’t agree that carbon emissions are the largest driver of climate change and that if that were the case.

To which Walz counter, “Donald Trump called it a hoax and then joked that these things would make more beachfront property to be able to invest in.”

CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan fact checked Vance by stating “overwhelming consensus among scientists is that the Earth’s climate is warming at an unprecedented rate.”

Vance and Walz on Middle east crisis

A confident Vance started the debate on a positive note against a nervous Walz who answered the question on middle east crisis to attack Trump and his unsteady relation. In contrast, Walz focussed on Israel’s right to defend and make a choice when asked whether he would approve a pre-emptive strike on Iran.

Walz meanwhile stated, Trump is the one who pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and gave Iran the space to get a nuclear weapon more quickly. By further adding, a steady leadership is key in this moment of uncertainty in the Middle East. “What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter. It’s clear, and the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago, a nearly 80 year old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment,” he said.

Vance-Walz debate begins with a handshake

Walz and Vance continued with the trend set during Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate by shaking hands before they started the debate

Vance-Walz debate: Trump’s message for Vance

Trump told Vance to have “have fun,” in the debate

“He’s a smart guy. He’s he’s been amazing. He’s been a real warrior,” Trump told Fox News. “Top student at Yale. He’s a very brilliant guy. And so many different ways and, you know, he’s a very hard worker. He goes around and he’s not afraid of the media. He would stand here and and answer all of your questions. I have a lot of people that wouldn’t do that. They don’t like doing that. They get shouted at and they don’t like being shouted at. But, JD is very much a warrior.”

Vance-Walz debate: Veteran Lawmaker vs Political Newcomer

The world will witness Walz, a twice-elected governor of Minnesota and a former member of Congress for 12 years, go head-to-head with Vance, who is relatively new to politics after being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Both candidates have a challenge ahead in winning over voters, as many are still unfamiliar with them according to recent polls. However, Vance may face a tougher uphill battle given his unfavourable ratings.

Apart from the main narratives of immigration, economy and international conflicts the two candidates will punch holes into each other’s resumes as their roles as Ohio senator and Minnesota governors.

JD Vance is expected to focus his attacks on Walz, a former public school teacher and football coach, particularly regarding what Republicans describe as his heavy-handed COVID-19 policies in Minnesota. This includes Walz’s establishment of a hotline to report social distancing violations.

Vance may also criticize Walz for legislation he signed last year permitting tampon dispensers in boys’ restrooms at public schools. Additionally, he could question Walz’s military record; the Minnesota governor acknowledged in August that he “misspoke” when he claimed to have handled assault weapons “in war” while advocating for stricter gun laws, noting he resigned from the National Guard before his unit was deployed to Iraq.

On the flip side, Walz is likely to target Vance for some of his controversial remarks, such as referring to certain Democratic politicians as a “bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives.” He may also challenge Vance for defending unfounded claims about migrants eating household pets in an Ohio town.

Furthermore, Walz could bring up leaked messages from 2020 where Vance criticized Trump for failing to fulfill his promises on economic populism, potentially putting Vance in a difficult position.

Microphones to remain active throughout the debate, even when it’s not the candidate’s turn to speak.

Candidates will fact-check each other, with moderators facilitating during rebuttals. There will be no live studio audience and no opening statements.

Candidates will stand at podiums; Walz on the left and Vance on the right.

Campaign aides will not allowed to communicate with candidates during breaks.

Pre-written notes are also prohibited on stage.

Candidates will be given two minutes for answers, followed by a two-minute response from the other candidate, and one minute for rebuttals.

Two minutes each for closing remarks; Vance will speak last after winning a coin toss.