Tim Walz, Asked Whether He'd Support an Israeli Strike on Iran's Nuclear Program, Pivots to Crowd Size

Gov. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) ducked questions about whether he would support an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program during Tuesday night's vice presidential debate, pivoting instead to former president Donald Trump "talking about crowd sizes."

"It's clear, and the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago, a nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment," Walz said toward the end of a meandering answer, punting on a key foreign policy issue that he has avoided discussing publicly for more than a month.

The CBS moderators, Margaret Brennan and Norah O'Donnell, framed the question as a "preemptive" Israeli strike on Iran, even though Tehran's hardline regime launched nearly 200 missiles at the Jewish state just hours ago and its proxies have been terrorizing Israel since Oct. 7 and long before.

Walz also appeared to confuse Israel with Iran, saying, "The expansion of Israel and its proxies is an absolute fundamental necessity, uh, for the United States to have the steady leadership there."

Walz went viral in September when he abruptly ditched a campaign event at the Minnesota State Fair after being asked to address Hamas's recent slaughter of six Israeli hostages.

"All right," Walz said after being asked the question. "Thanks, everybody."

The governor's inability to answer the question drew criticism across social media, and his latest refusal to give a clear answer on to the ongoing conflict, could raise further questions about his stance on pressing foreign policy matters.

Walz's Republican opponent, Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio), answered the same question by saying he would let Israel decide how "to keep their country safe."

"It is up to Israel what they think to do to keep their country safe, and we should support our allies wherever they are when they're fighting the bad guys," Vance said, noting that the Biden-Harris administration has provided Iran with upwards of $100 billion in sanctions relief since taking office.

Through sanctions relief and other executive actions, the Democratic administration had made it easier for Iran to access hard currency, money that it has used to build up regional terror proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. This cash has also floated a massive buildup in Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, which were unleashed Tuesday in a massive attack across Israel.

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