Introduction: Excerpts from

The vice presidential debate between Ohio’s Senator J.

Although the trajectory of the presidential campaign is unlikely to change, the two vice presidential candidates have been friendly with one another and have focused their attacks on policy differences rather than attacking the opposing party’s top positions. Mr. Vance has repeatedly attacked Vice President Kamala Harris over border security, and Mr. Walls has criticized former President Donald Trump over abortion rights.

Vance had a younger face and a more polite voice than the Republicans. Unlike Trump, he pronounced Harris’ first name correctly. He calls his opponents nicknames. Trump doesn’t often complain about moderators, but he does on his Truth Social platform during debates. The Ohio senator also largely missed the opportunity to negotiate the details of Walls’ own biography.

Walls,

who was less comfortable on stage than Vance, settled down after a nervous start. He portrayed Trump as a liar who ignores experts and dismisses facts he deems unfavorable.

“Look, if you want to be president, you don’t have all the answers,” he said. “Donald Trump is what he believes in.”

The discussion focused exclusively on domestic issues. CBS correspondents questioned the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, but did not question US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The unusually normal debate ended with another moment of refreshing normalcy, the likes of which has not been seen in presidential debates of the past decade. The candidates shook hands, chatted from microphones and stretched as if their wives had joined them.

Here are six takeaways from the first and only planned vice presidential debate of the 2024 election

Vance tried to steer the discussion about democracy into a discussion about social media censorship. But Walls backtracked each time, arguing that Trump had already laid the groundwork for rejecting the results of the 2024 election if he lost.

“Four years later, we’re in the same boat,” Walls said. “The winners have to win. This has to stop. This is tearing our country apart.”