Tuesday's vice presidential debate between Republicans Senator J.D. Vance Ohio and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have brought together two candidates with different visions for America's future.
Body language expert Carol Lieberman said Vance espoused calmness and a sense of control over the matter, while Walz appeared nervous and overly fidgety at times, but remained in the debate. Although they managed to regain their composure in the second half, their body language was in sharp contrast to each other. M.D. told Fox News Digital.
“The thing that made J.D. Vance most likable and most believable was that he was the real deal…Suffice it to say, J.D. Vance was the real deal. , but they were just to explain what he was doing,” Lieberman said.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared nervous and overly fidgety at times, Lieberman said. (Getty Images)
“J.D. Vance gave me the impression that he was very stable, like he was the captain of a ship. He wasn't too stiff, but he knew what he was getting. He seemed so sure of himself…that's why I felt safe with him,” Lieberman added.
This contradicted Walz, who said Lieberman was anxious and nervous, especially at the beginning of the debate.
“With Tim Walz, he was everywhere. He was very nervous and there were signs in his body language that he was lying. His body language didn't match what he was saying. It seemed like too much and I felt exhausted.'' “
Mr. Lieberman said Mr. Walz stumbled on a question about his presence in Tiananmen Square for the deadly protests in the spring of 1989. Walz has previously said he was in Hong Kong during the protests, but Minnesota Public Radio and other media outlets have reported that Walz did not actually travel to China. Until August of that year.
CBS News host Margaret Brennan asked Walz to explain the discrepancy. Walz initially tried to avoid the question, but eventually admitted he had “misspoke” after calling himself “sometimes a knucklehead.”
“He was very defensive, he was just pacing, and he didn't want to admit that he lied. He would have been more honest if he had said that at the beginning.”
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Lieberman said body language plays an important role in debates because people may not be paying full attention to the entire discussion and some topics interest people more than others. states.
She said Vance, 40, came across as a more experienced politician, even though he has only served in the Senate since January 2023, while Walz served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. He served as a congressman and later became the governor of Minnesota.
”[Walz] He seemed like a new politician just trying to figure these things out. He was always looking down…I mean, yes, it's fine to take notes while you're talking, but…he was like, “Oh, you should say that,” “Here's the answer.” I was frantically taking notes. 'It didn't really seem to be of much use to him, but I think it was the price of nerves. ”
“JD, on the other hand, might look like a Yale debater,” Lieberman said.
“He obviously…has practiced for years as a debater in college and as a lawyer. I've read and heard stories of both of them practicing, but it's coming from a genuine place. You don't actually have to do it if you know what you want to do and just say it. On the other hand, if you're hiding things by blurting it out, you need to either stop saying it or practice saying it. And that's how it came across. ”
Republican Sen. J.D. Vance believed in staying calm and having a sense of command over issues, Lieberman said. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The vice presidential debate on CBS News featured both candidates' platforms on issues such as the ongoing wars in the Middle East, abortion laws and the economic records of their respective tickets. Mr. Vance and Mr. Walz clashed several times during the 90-minute debate, which included the moderator turning off Vance's microphone.
Pundits on both sides of the political spectrum largely agreed that Vance won the debate with a more polished performance in a highly policy-driven event devoid of personal attacks. Immediately after the debate, the two sides were seen shaking hands and chatting.
Lieberman said Vance was confident in prosecuting Trump's ticket and was comfortable discussing issues supported by Republicans.
“He wanted to say, 'Let's go, I can't wait to do this, we're going to do it'…He's a Trump guy,” Lieberman said. “It's like a genuine feeling that I want to take care of America, I want to make America great again, and all those things just came through naturally and at the end I just wanted him to push Tim Waltz aside. That's what made me nervous, and with J.D. Vance, I was like, “OK, that's good.” ”
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Pundits on both sides of the political spectrum generally agreed that Vance won the debate with a more polished performance in a policy-driven event devoid of personal attacks. (Reuters)
Lieberman said Walz's strategy seemed to be to blame Trump for many of the problems or quote Trump in his responses, rendering his response ineffective. At the time, Walz seemed lost.
“Waltz had some signs of lying, like being nervous in parts and then fidgeting. Mainly his movements weren't in line with what he was saying. These puppy dog looks at Vance drove him crazy, in my opinion…He was practicing saying bad things about Trump, which wasn't a good plan.”
“Over the course of 90 minutes, you get more and more nervous, anxious, and irritable in front of Tim Walz, but in front of J.D. Vance you get more and more calm and it feels like things are going well. And even if you can't do that, if you hear the words they're saying and you just look at it, you'll feel,
