JD Vance, Tim Walz clash in VP debate overshadowed by Donald Trump

NEW YORK: As presidential elections in the United States inch closer, vice presidential contenders JD Vance and Tim Walz clashed on abortion and migration in their televised debate Tuesday, but ended up repeatedly circling back to one subject — Donald Trump.

In a largely polite encounter, Republican Vance and Democrat Walz dug deeper into the details of policy than presidential candidates Trump and Kamala Harris did during their clash in September.

But with Minnesota governor Walz attacking Republican former president Donald Trump, and Ohio senator Vance singing his praises, the debate was often overshadowed by the billionaire, whose name came up more than 80 times — twice as many as Harris.

An initially nervy Walz lashed out early on over migration, one of the key subjects for voters in November, criticising Vance for boosting bogus stories about Haitian migrants.

"By standing with Donald Trump and not working together to find a solution, (immigration) becomes a talking point," Walz said when the debate turned to tensions in Springfield, Ohio over migrants.

"And when it becomes a talking point like this, we dehumanise and villainise other human beings," Walz said during the CBS debate.

One of the few heated clashes came on abortion, a hot-button issue since a Supreme Court packed with judges picked by Trump overturned the national right to abortion in 2022.

Vance accused Democrats of taking a "very radical pro-abortion stance" who backed what he called "barbaric" laws. Walz hit back saying he was "pro-women."