2 weeks ago
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Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said she thinks Sen. JD Vance’s (R-Ohio) debate performance showed he was “significantly more eloquent” than his running mate former President Trump.
Farah Griffin, a CNN contributor and co-host of ABC's "The View," was part of a panel Tuesday discussing the forum between Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) — which could be the last debate of the election.
The two vice presidential hopefuls met for the first time in New York City Tuesday evening for a debate hosted by CBS News. Vance largely performed well on stage, according to viewers, and Farrah Griffin seemingly shared a similar sentiment.
“I was struck by the fact that JD Vance is a significantly more eloquent Donald Trump,” she said during the panel in comments highlighted by Mediaite. “Watching that, I don’t agree with JD Vance on quite a bit, but he speaks to MAGA in a way that he comes off as an incredibly effective communicator.”
Vance, a Yale-trained lawyer, kept his cool on stage Tuesday and often attacked Walz's running mate Vice President Harris.
In ways it was seen as a win for the GOP ticket, after the Sept. 10 debate between Harris and Trump. During that forum, the former president often rambled and avoided eye contact with his challenger.
The event was largely viewed as a win for Harris and Trump declared there would be no other meet up. Farah Griffin suggested the VP debate could have changed his mind.
“I honestly would be surprised that Donald Trump doesn’t want to debate again because JD Vance did so well and he’s going to want the final kind of, you know, the closing argument,” Farah Griffin said.
She argued that Vance’s performance on stage was able to convey that he is the next Republican in line to take over the party once Trump is out of the picture, though wasn’t confident it affected the current standing of the race.
“I don’t know if this moves the needle, but I do think it solidifies his place as the MAGA heir apparent after Trump,” Farah Griffin said.
She also argued that Vance was able to show a “command of facts,” and even though he said some false statements, he showed empathy. The former Trump aide said he’s a “chameleon,” but found herself “believing” what he was saying.
“And then I remember his lies about Haitian kids, his comments about childless cat ladies and his general record online, is a mean-spirited internet troll,” she said.
According to a set of surveys conducted shortly after the VP debate, watchers said Vance out-performed Walz, but not by much.
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