Donald Trump flipped the script on the division of labor with his running mate, opting for the attack dog role, while his running mate JD Vance found occasional compromises with rival Tim Walz during the vice presidential debate.
The CBS moderators were Trump’s first target just as events began Tuesday night.
‘Both young women have been extremely biased presenters!’ Trump wrote about Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell, both longtime members of the media. Brennan is 44 and O’Donnell is 50. Trump is 78.
Rather than lay low, Trump earlier spoke for more than an hour at two separate events in Wisconsin and then used his own Truth Social network to repeatedly insult Walz.
Trump applauded JD Vance’s defense of his foreign policy leadership. “A great defense for me and the Administration of false accusations made by an obviously not very bright Governor,” Trump wrote, launching his first insult of the night.
He then called out Walz for looking down and doodling, after a shaky first response. ‘Walz is taking so many notes. I’ve never seen a candidate take more! “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 topic. Debate rules allow each debater to have pencil, paper and water, but no advanced notes.
‘More notes! Why can’t Walz just remember what he has to say? Low IQ!’ Trump wrote.
Trump applauded his running mate as the debate progressed.
“JD is steady and strong, Tampon Tim is sweating, he’s nervous and he’s ‘weird,'” Trump said, using an insult he uses on the stump.
Trump began by attacking the moderators and then attacked Walz.
Trump referred to the moderators as “ladies”
It refers to a bill Walz signed into law as governor of Minnesota to require public schools to provide menstrual products to students in grades 4 through 12.
Trump used the insult in another post. ‘JD is doing EXCELLENT – a different level of intelligence than Tampon Tim!’ Trump wrote in another.
Trump did not seem persuaded when Walz responded that he was sometimes a “fool” when asked if he had said he was in Hong Kong at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He said he was there at another time.
‘Why doesn’t Walz answer the question about his LIES? He ‘talks a lot’, but it’s all TOTAL nonsense!’ Trump intervened.