JD Vance reveals when he felt good about his debate performance and why he looked at the camera in viral moment
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance responded to his debate performance in an interview Thursday, even as he admitted he didn’t know exactly how things were going at the moment.
“I’m so nervous, right? These things make me nervous,” Vance said, responding to his debate performance during an interview with the Ruthless Podcast.
He revealed that he knew he had done a really good job after looking at his wife Usha’s face after everything was over.
“I looked at Usha’s face and I knew it: I thought, ‘Holy sh*t, we must have done really well’ because Usha doesn’t lie to me and especially her face doesn’t lie to me,” he said. “And I knew at that moment that this meant we were having a really good debate.”
Vance and his challenger, Gov. Tim Walz, took part in the first and only vice presidential debate Tuesday night on CBS.
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, waves at the podium as he stands with his wife Usha Vance,
Vance revealed why he looked at the television camera at one point during the debate, a moment that went viral on social media as supporters compared it to a typical look from the character Jim Halpert from the TV show “The Office.”
“I wish I could take credit for it because I think the timer is right by the camera, so I was trying to pay attention,” he said.
While Walz was talking, Vance said he looked at the timer to make sure he was ready to speak when it was his turn.
Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center
He said he realized his opponent Tim Walz seemed nervous and nervous, but he refused to take advantage of the moment to gain more points.
“If your enemy makes a mistake, don’t interrupt him,” he said, referring to what he called a “Sun Tzu” quote.
“I was like, ‘Shut up.’ that was the mental process, I said, ‘Don’t say anything JD, silence!'” he explained.
Vance said his debate strategy was not to debate Walz, but to emulate Vice President Kamala Harris’ record in his first three years.
“I was like, I really don’t need to debate Tim Walz, I really want to debate Kamala Harris,” he said.
When asked about his thoughts on the election, Vance said there was still “a lot of work” to be done in the Rust Belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
“I’m just in those states all the time,” he said.