GOP leader says Vance is ‘absolutely prepared’ for vice presidential debate showdown with Walz

NEW YORK — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is confident that Sen. JD Vance of Ohio is “absolutely prepared” for Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate showdown.

Vance, President Trump’s former nominee for the 2024 GOP nomination, will face off in New York City with Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota in the only debate between the two candidates.

“Look at everything he’s done since he was named candidate. He prepared, he spoke to the press, he was out there, he went around and spoke to American voters. So he’s very willing to have that conversation,” Whatley emphasized in an interview with Fox News Digital hours before the debate.

A source familiar with Vance’s preparation for the debate told Fox News Digital that the senator attended a series of Homicide meetings with his team last month, where a group of people asked tough questions and had candid discussions, to help someone prepare for a difficult debate exam or test, or in Vance’s case, a vice presidential debate.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE AND WHEN OF THE JD VANCE-TIM WALZ VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON TUESDAY

According to the source, Vance led a mock debate last week in which Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the House majority leader, played the role of Walz. Monica Crowley, a former deputy treasury secretary in the Trump administration, played the role of one of the moderators for CBS News, which is hosting the debate in New York City.

In the middle of the mock debate, the power went out as a strong storm hit the area around Cincinnati, Ohio, where Vance lives and where the preparatory session was taking place. But according to the source who first shared the details with Fox News, Vance and the team went ahead, using lanterns as lighting and cellphones as timers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE VP DEBATE

Ahead of the 2024 vice presidential debate, Vance, 40, was very talkative, participating in numerous interviews and answering numerous questions from reporters on the campaign trail.

Walz, 60, was much more reserved when it came to speaking to the national news media.

The governor was in debate camp preparing before the showdown. Walz huddled in Harbor Springs, Michigan, near the northern tip of the state’s Lower Peninsula, with advisers and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who played the role of Vance in mock debates.

Walz’s wife – the First Lady of Minnesota, Gwen Walz, is also helping out.

Asked on the eve of the showdown with Vance how his wife helped him prepare for the debate, Walz told reporters: “She wins them all.”

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 ELECTION POWER RANKINGS SHOW

With a second face-to-face showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump unlikely – and with the White House still having a margin of error with five weeks until Election Day in November – the stakes will be raised, the candidate debate is traditionally viewed as a secondary event in the presidential campaign.

“Given that there will likely only be one head-to-head matchup between the major candidates and that this will be the last meeting between the two candidates immediately before the election, this increases the importance and significance of this debate.” “Longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams, a veteran of several presidential campaigns, told Fox News.

Most political experts said Harris defeated Trump in their first and likely only debate last month. And flash polls among debate watchers agreed.

A strong performance by Vance in Tuesday’s vice presidential debate could give Trump a boost.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL ON THE 2024 ELECTION

And there is a precedent from 12 years ago.

After a shaky first debate by then-President Barack Obama against 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, then-Vice President Joe Biden’s highly publicized performance in the candidates’ debate against Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, gave Democrats a major boost.

Whatley, the former RNC general counsel and former North Carolina GOP chair who is a close Trump ally, told Fox Digital that Vance’s debate mission is to “get the message across” to voters across the country.

Whatley argued: “If you look at the Democrats, not only do they have messenger problems, they have messaging problems. The policies they’re pushing right now are not popular with the American people… I’m thinking about every single one of them.” On these issues, the Republican ticket is the ticket of strength, the ticket of common sense, and I feel really great about where they’re going “We’re going tonight.”

The RNC chairman also said when it comes to Vance’s game plan for the debate, “I think he’s going to talk about the issues that voters care about, and those are issues like inflation, like the southern border, like prices in the United States.” Grocery store.” In the store and at the gas pump, people are really interested in talking about it.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Part of the Harris campaign’s strategy leading up to the debate is to raise expectations for Walz.

For weeks, they have portrayed Walz as a regular player who will compete against the Ivy League-educated Vance. What they don’t mention is that Walz has won six House races and two gubernatorial races.

The Trump campaign is playing the same game.

“Walz is very good at debates. I would like to repeat that. Tim Walz is very good at debates. Really good. He has been a politician for almost 20 years. “He will be very well prepared for tomorrow night,” Trump campaign manager Jason Miller told reporters on Monday.

But Trump appeared to undermine that campaign’s argument by claiming that Vance is “running against an idiot” in an interview with Kellyanne Conway’s Fox Nation show “Here’s the Deal with Kellyanne.” A total idiot like the one she chose is unbelievable.”

Walz enters the debate with better poll numbers than Vance.

According to Fox News’ most recent national poll, Walz was slightly above water with a 43% positive rating and a 40% unfavorable rating.

Vance was in negative territory at 38-50% favorable/unfavorable.

Get the latest updates on the 2024 election, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital Election Center.