Vance Vows to Debate Walz, but Only in a "Real" Format

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance says he's "strongly" considering a debate with his Democratic rival Tim Walz on October 1, but only if it's conducted in a "real" format without any "fake news media garbage."

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has expressed his willingness to debate his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, but only if the event meets certain criteria.

In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on "The Ingraham Angle," Vance said he and his team were considering the possibility of a debate on October 1, as proposed by CBS News. However, he emphasized that he would not participate in any "fake" debates orchestrated by the media.

Vance Vows to Debate Walz, but Only in a "Real" Format

"We're not going to do one of these fake debates, Laura, where they don't actually have an audience there, where they don't actually set the parameters in a right way, where you can have a good exchange of ideas," Vance asserted. "In other words, we're not going to run and walk into a fake news media garbage debate."

Vance's comments come after Walz accepted the terms of a debate set by CBS News for October 1. The Democratic candidate posted a message on social media, saying "See you on Oct. 1, JD."

Vance Vows to Debate Walz, but Only in a "Real" Format

According to CBS, four dates were proposed for the debate: September 17, September 24, October 1, and October 8.

Vance, who is running alongside Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been critical of the media in the past, accusing it of bias and sensationalism. He has also been dismissive of polls that show him trailing Walz in the race.

A recent poll by the Star Tribune showed Walz leading Vance by 52% to 42% among likely voters.

Despite the polls, Vance remains confident in his chances of victory. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, he said he was "very excited" about the campaign and that he believed the Trump-Vance ticket would win in November.

"We're going to put Minnesota back on the map," Vance said. "We're going to win this race."

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Vance's debate stance.

According to a Harris campaign official, "Harris for President has accepted CBS' invitation to a vice presidential candidate debate on October 1. Governor Walz looks forward to debating JD Vance — if he shows up."