Iranian missile attack on Israel
In the wake of Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday, presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on the escalating conflict, equating the animosity between the two nations to "two kids fighting in the schoolyard."
"This has really been bad, but they have to finish that process. Think of it like two kids fighting in the schoolyard. Sometimes you have to just let it go a little bit, we'll see what happens," Trump remarked.
However, he also said, "I’ve been talking about World War III for a long time, and I don’t want to make predictions because the predictions always come true. But they are very close to global catastrophe."
Meanwhile, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance took a more direct approach, accusing President Joe Biden of enabling Iran’s aggression by releasing frozen funds.
"Iran, which launched this attack, has received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration," Vance said in a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris' vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz. "What do they use that money for? They use it to buy weapons that they're now launching against our allies and, God forbid, potentially launching against the United States as well."
Walz, vowed there "will be consequences" for Iran’s actions but did not provide specific details.
Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, likely the last before the November 5 election, saw Walz and Vance clash in New York just hours after Iran’s missile attack. The debate began with a question on whether the candidates would support a U.S. attack on Iran. Walz emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense, while Vance avoided a direct answer but criticized the Biden administration for allowing Iran’s nuclear program to advance.
"Donald Trump pulled that program and put nothing else in its place," Walz retorted. "So Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than they were before because of Donald Trump's fickle leadership. And when Iran shot down an American aircraft in international airspace, Donald Trump tweeted, because that's the standard diplomacy of Donald Trump.
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No clear winner in Tuesday's debate
(Photo: Alex Kent / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
The debate, though contentious, did not deliver a clear winner. A CBS poll showed viewers were split, with 42% favoring Vance and 41% backing Walz, while 17% called it a draw. Unlike the Harris-Trump debate, microphones were not muted, though CBS hosts exercised that option once during a heated exchange on immigration.
Vance dodged a question about separating undocumented immigrants from their U.S.-born children, instead attacking Harris for what he called chaos at the southern border. Walz countered by blaming Trump for blocking bipartisan immigration reform.
Another key moment came during a clash on abortion. Vance denied supporting a federal abortion ban, despite past statements to the contrary. Walz responded, "We have seen maternal mortality skyrocket in Texas, outpacing many other countries in the world. This is about health care. In Minnesota, we are ranked first in health care for a reason. We trust women. We trust doctors."
The debate peaked when Walz attacked Trump’s refusal to accept his 2020 loss. "He lost the election," Walz said. "This is not a debate. It's not anything anywhere other than in Donald Trump's world, because, look, when Mike Pence made that decision to certify that election, that's why Mike Pence isn't on this stage."
Vance, like Trump, refused to directly acknowledge Biden’s 2020 victory, instead insisting that Trump had ensured a "smooth transition."
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