Donald Trump flipped the script on the division of labor with his running mate, opting for the role of attack dog, while running mate JD Vance occasionally found common ground with rival Tim Walz during the vice presidential debate.
The CBS moderators were Trump’s first target just as events got underway on Tuesday evening.
“Both young ladies have been extremely biased anchors!” Trump wrote about Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell, both long-time members of the media. Brennan is 44 and O’Donnell is 50. Trump is 78.
Rather than remain silent, Trump previously spoke for more than an hour at two separate events in Wisconsin, then used his own Truth Social network to repeatedly insult Walz.
Trump applauded J.D. Vance’s defense of his foreign policy leadership. “A great defense of me and the administration against false accusations from an obviously not very smart governor,” Trump wrote, delivering his first insult of the evening.
Then he called out Walz for looking down and scrambling, after a shaky initial response. “Walz takes so many notes. I’ve never seen a candidate take more notes! He needs the notes to keep his brain intact,” Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump hurled insults at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during his debate with Senator JD Vance
He returned to the subject. According to the debate rules, each debater is allowed to have pen, paper and water, but not advanced notes.
‘More comments! Why can’t Walz just remember what he has to say? Low IQ!’ Trump wrote.
Trump cheered on his running mate as the debate progressed.
“JD is steady and strong, Tampon Tim sweats bullets, he’s nervous and ‘weird,’” Trump said, using an insult he used on the stump.
Trump started by attacking the moderators and then attacked Walz
Trump called the female moderators ‘young ladies’
It refers to a bill that Walz signed into law as governor of Minnesota that would require public schools to provide menstrual products to students in grades 4 through 12.
Trump used the insult in another post. “JD is doing GREAT – A different level of intelligence than Tampon Tim!” Trump wrote in another.
Trump appeared unconvinced when Walz responded that he was sometimes a “knucklehead” when questioned about the claim that he was in Hong Kong at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He said he was there at a different time.
“Why doesn’t Walz answer the question about his LIES? He “talks a lot”, but it’s all TOTAL BS!’ Trump weighed in.