Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has spent the past month planning, strategizing and coming up with tough questions ahead of the CBS vice presidential debate on October 1 against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a source familiar with former President Trump's preparations said.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) was chosen to play Waltz in the mock debate to prepare Vance for the Minnesota governor's “down-home” Midwestern style, sources told Fox News Digital.
Sources said Vance has been doing much of his preparation at home in Cincinnati or through online sessions with the team.
Vance's aides, including his wife, Usha, and Trump campaign strategist Jason Miller have also been attending the preparation sessions, and sources say Vance's supporters have been busy watching videos of Waltz's past campaign debates to hone his debating style.
Trump-Vance has conducted a total of 58 interviews since last month, while Harris-Waltz has conducted 18.
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, speaks to a crowd during a rally at the Berks County Fairgrounds in Leesport, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 21, 2024. (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
The source also noted that Vance's frequent media interviews are helping him prepare for the next debate, scheduled for New York City.
As a regular on the Sunday show, Vance frequently debates polemic network hosts and has experience responding to their attacks, the sources added.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) spoke at a rally featuring former President Trump and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance in St. Cloud, Minnesota on July 27, 2024. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Vance says he will continue to refer to Haitian immigrants as “illegal immigrants” even though he's on parole.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will appear as a J.D. Vance lookalike at Walz's mock debate, The Associated Press reported, citing people familiar with the candidates' preparations.
Trump had already faced off against President Biden in a debate hosted by CNN on June 27, and Biden's dismal performance was what ultimately prompted him to withdraw from the race and endorse Harris. After Trump and Harris appeared at the second presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia on September 10, Trump said on TRUTH Social that “there will be no third debate.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a Harris-Walz campaign rally at Freedom High School on September 21, 2024 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (Caroline Gutman for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Harris said in a weekend X post that she would accept the terms of a debate hosted by CNN on Oct. 23. At a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on Saturday, Trump noted that Harris had done one debate, saying, “I've done two. It's too late to do another one. I wanted to do it in a lot of ways, but it's too late now. The votes are over.”
Fox News' Caroline Elliott and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
