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He is nervous, bad at debates and afraid of letting his presidential candidate down.
Or?
It is believed to be a shrewd tactical move before the fateful meeting.
If the anonymous sources from the Democrats’ campaign staff are to be believed, there could be an outclassing tonight.
But experts rather believe that it is part of the psychological game before the fateful meeting – which could play a decisive role in the record-equalling situation.
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fullscreenTim Walz. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Last fight
At 03:00 tonight Swedish time, the vice-presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance clash in a televised debate in New York.
Since Donald Trump snubbed a second debate with Kamala Harris, this could be the last fight between the two campaigns before the election.
That, and the fact that the election appears to be close to a record high, has created considerably more interest this year than usual in vice presidential debates.
And there are two completely different types of politicians who meet.
Republican candidate JD Vance loves to talk to reporters and has done countless television interviews where he is not afraid of uncomfortable questions.
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fullscreenJD Vance. Photo: Laurence Kesterson/AP
Fed a little cow
He also usually stops and answers reporters’ questions in connection with his election rallies.
The Democrats’ Tim Walz has a different approach. He mainly meets persuasive followers when he is out and about.
He also invests a lot in building the image of himself as a cozy football dad.
The Democrats have published scores of photos and videos of Walz tinkering with the car, feeding a calf and hugging supporters.
The appearance, and the tactic of shielding him from the media, has made Walz far more popular than Vance.
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full screen Kamala Harris. Photo: Sam Morris/AP
Strategic trick
– Walz shows a folksy charm when speaking to audiences, while Vance often comes across as more awkward, says Bernard Tamas, professor of political science at Valdosta State University, to Newsweek.
Now the Democrats are doing their best to prevent the debate from changing that image of Walz.
The anonymous source information that came from that site has been that Walz sees himself as a bad debater, that he is nervous about how he will perform and that he is afraid of letting Kamala Harris down.
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full screenDonald Trump. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
Tamas thinks it’s all about tactics.
He calls it “a strategic ploy” to lower expectations and create the opportunity for Walz to overperform.
– Regardless, you repeatedly see in these types of debates that the candidate who appears the most confident in himself, regardless of their political positions, that the viewers like the most, says Tamas to Newsweek.