J.D. Vance Refuses to Acknowledge Donald Trump Lost 2020 Election, Tim Walz Slams 'Damning Non-Answer'

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance would not acknowledge that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election during the vice presidential debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, Oct. 1. 

Near the end of the debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City, Vance, 40, was asked about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results. Trump’s running mate said the former president “peacefully gave over power” on Jan. 20, 2021, although Trump became the first president since Richard Nixon to not attend his successor’s inauguration.

Later, Walz, 60, asked Vance directly, “Did Donald Trump win the 2020 election?” 

“I’m focused on the future,” Vance said as he tried to discuss social media censorship instead.

“That’s a damning non-answer,” Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, said. “He lost the election. This is not a debate.”

“When Mike Pence made that decision to certify that election, that's why Mike Pence isn't on this stage,” Walz later said, referring to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 running mate, who certified the 2020 election results on Jan. 6 in his role as vice president. “What I'm concerned about is, where is the firewall with Donald Trump?”

"That's what we're asking you, America: Will you stand up?" Walz continued. "America, I think you've got a really clear choice on this election: Who's going to honor democracy, and who's going to honor Donald Trump?"

Tuesday night’s debate, moderated by CBS journalists Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell, is the only debate between the vice presidential candidates. It is also likely the last one between anyone on the major party tickets, as Trump, 78, has declined to debate Harris, 59, for a second time. Their debate took place on Sept. 10, following a June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden.

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Harris chose Walz as her running mate in early August. He was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018, after serving in Congress for 10 years. 

Trump named Vance as his running mate in early July. Vance gained national attention for writing the 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy and has been Ohio’s junior U.S. Senator since 2023.