Walz, Vance argue their running mates would reduce Mideast instability

Tim Walz and JD Vance on Tuesday each pointed to the crises of the day as reasons for voters to choose their respective running mates for president, opening their vice-presidential debate by addressing the growing fears of a regional war in the Middle East and a natural disaster that has ravaged the southeastern US.

Walz, answering a question on whether he would support a preemptive strike on Iran as it launched missiles into Israel, quickly pivoted to painting Donald Trump as too dangerous for the country and the world in an unstable moment.

"What's fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter," said Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota. "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."

Vance, in his reply, argued that Trump is an intimidating figure whose presence on the international stage is its own deterrent.

"Donald Trump actually delivered ...