Watch: JD Vance Gives Hilarious Look at Viewers as Tim Walz Rambles During Defining Debate Moment
It was one look that basically summed up the entire vice presidential debate and became a meme: J.D. Vance looking askance at the camera as Tim Walz rambled on about yet another topic.
For those of you who missed it, the look pretty much summed up Tuesday’s contest. The Ohio senator and Donald Trump’s running mate came across as poised, ready and assertive, while the Minnesota governor chosen by Kamala Harris to take the nation’s highest office if — heaven forfend — she were to be elected and anything was to happen to her came across like a thinner, still-living Don Rickles stumbled onto a debate stage without any 1) jokes or 2) idea how he got there.
We don’t know, either — and neither did Vance, as one glance clearly showed.
The viral moment came during a debate over enrollment in the Affordable Care Act — colloquially known as Obamacare — and whether enrollment went up under Donald Trump’s administration even after he removed the individual mandate, which penalized people who didn’t enroll with a tax hit.
As Vance pointed out, it did go up, and it kept protections for those who had pre-existing conditions. Co-moderator Norah O’Donnell asked Walz whether that was factual.
“It’s higher now that we’ve seen it go up. Look, people are using it. The system works. And the question about this of young people or whatever, that’s the individual mandate piece of this,” Walz said. “And Republicans fought tooth and nail, saying, well, Americans should be free to do this. Well, then what happens?”
“You think the individual mandate’s a good idea?” Vance shot back.
Ruh-roh:
LOL: Watch JD Vance’s cheeky glance at the camera when he knows he caught Tim Walz… pic.twitter.com/LwZ4RRcGmS
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 2, 2024
“I think the idea of making sure the risk pool is broad enough to cover everyone, that’s the only way insurance works,” Walz said. “When it doesn’t, it collapses. You are asking pre-ACA where we get people out.”
Translation: Yes, he does believe in the individual mandate. And the look at the end was priceless.
Now, mind you, this was not the only gaffe of the night. Other unsettling — or, as Walz is fond of saying “weird” — quotes from the would-be veep? “I’ve become friends with school shooters” and “I’m a knucklehead at times”:
“I’ve become friends with school shooters” – Tim Walz pic.twitter.com/dsnkhKjBxE
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 2, 2024
JUST IN: Tim Walz turns into a stumbling mess, calls himself a ‘knucklehead’ after he was confronted about the lie that he was in Hong Kong in 1989 during Tiananmen.
After going on a 2-minute rant about how good of a guy he is, Walz finally answered the question.
Walz has… pic.twitter.com/rJ324rYytH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 2, 2024
However, it was Vance’s look at the camera that became the viral moment of the night:
JUST IN: Tim Walz turns into a stumbling mess, calls himself a ‘knucklehead’ after he was confronted about the lie that he was in Hong Kong in 1989 during Tiananmen.
After going on a 2-minute rant about how good of a guy he is, Walz finally answered the question.
Walz has… pic.twitter.com/rJ324rYytH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 2, 2024
A new meme template has been born.
Go at it folks. pic.twitter.com/egQEHpWqVl
— Planet Of Memes (@PlanetOfMemes) October 2, 2024
And why not? Time and time again on Tuesday night, Gov. Walz was caught in what might charitably be called discordances between his rhetoric and reality, and he tried to explain them away, every single time, with long-winded word salads that avoided giving a definitive answer. And Vance was able to control the narrative. Period.
At least everyone can agree on one thing, though: Yes, the man can be a knucklehead, and more than sometimes.
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