‘Ran from it like a bat out of hell’: David Axelrod pinpoints the exact moment JD Vance lost the debate with Tim Walz

In life there are always winners and losers, and political debates are no exception. Of course, it’s a matter of opinion, with personal biases certainly affecting how we perceive a win, but veteran political consultant David Axelrod thinks he knows who the victor is, and he also knows the exact moment the win was solidified. 

Last night’s VP debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance was a tame affair compared to the presidential debate we witnessed last month, but then again, that tends to be the case when Donald Trump isn’t present. For the most part, it was a respectful and mild-mannered debate, something we haven’t seen in American politics for a long time. 

Plenty have already voiced their opinions online over who really won the debate; stars like Mark Hamill have expressed their support for Tim Walz, and the general consensus seems to be that the Democratic party VP did a pretty good job against Vance. One moment in particular caught the attention of David Axelrod, and in his eyes it truly sealed the win for Walz. Posting to X, the former senior advisor to Barack Obama admitted that Vance was doing well, but when asked a direct question by Walz about the 2020 election he crumbled, avoiding the question entirely.

“That is a damning non-answer”

The moment comes towards the end of the debate as the pair had been discussing the importance of accepting election results. When Walz asked Vance if Trump lost the 2020 election, the Republican VP’s response skirted around the topic.

“Tim, I’m focused on the future, did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?”

Actually, to say he skirted around the question is being generous, as he completely changed the subject, because he knows he can’t answer — as Walz put it, “That is a damning non-answer.”

Most people can accept that Trump lost the 2020 election, but Donald seems intent on continuing with the narrative that the whole thing was rigged, even though he himself has slipped up before and admitted he lost. Anyways, Vance likely wouldn’t want to rock the boat by contradicting the former president’s make-believe story, so his best option was to just not answer, which pretty much tells us all we need to know.

The replies to Axelrod’s assessment chimed in with their own opinions on the debate, many of which agreed with him.

I think Walz won the debate on that exchange. Disaster for JD Vance.

— Crazy Fenak (@CrazyFenaker) October 2, 2024

Although there was quite a bit of disagreement over one thing Axelrod said — that being that Vance had been doing well up until that question. 

I disagree he didn not do well? He never answered any questions walz owned healthcare gun , border bill and federal lands and 2020 election 🗳️

It was a knock out by walz 🥊🥊🥊🥊

— Pepe Patriot🇺🇸🦅 (@Baddassbunny1) October 2, 2024

Many pointed out that it was a clear win for Walz long before the question about the 2020 election.

He lost on the childcare answer, he lost when he blamed immigrants. He lost when he tried to explained the non existent health care plan. He lost definitely on refusing to acknowledge that Jan 6th was a horrible day in history and that Trump lost in 2020.

— Sky🪷 (@skylikeajedi) October 2, 2024

While he may not be as inflammatory as his running mate, JD Vance still has many of the same qualities as Trump. He’s happy to lie, happy to blame the country’s problems on immigration, and happy to make a fool of himself on air. JD and Donald Trump truly are a match made in hell.