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VP debate live updates: Vance faces Walz in NYC at 9 p.m. ET

Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. 
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

This is CNBC's live coverage of the 2024 vice presidential debate between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, in New York City on Oct. 1.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and Democratic nominee Tim Walz will debate Tuesday night in New York City, for their sole face-to-face showdown of the 2024 election.

CBS News is hosting the debate, but CNBC, NBC News, and other media outlets are also broadcasting the 90-minute-long event, which is set to kick off at 9 p.m. ET.

The debate is being moderated by "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell and "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan.

Vance, a 40-year-old who represents Ohio in the U.S. Senate, was tapped as the running mate of former President Donald Trump shortly before the Republican National Convention in July.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden quit the election in mid-July, picked Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate in early August.

CNBC reporters are blogging Tuesday's debate from New York City, Washington, San Francisco and Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

Biden cheers on Walz: 'Coach, I got your back tonight!'

Biden gave Walz a pre-debate pep talk in an encouraging post on X.

"Coach, I got your back tonight!" Biden said in the post.

"Tonight, America will see the strong, principled, and effective leader I've known for years—and the contrast you and Kamala provide against the other team," the president said.

– Josephine Rozzelle

Walz and Vance en route to CBS studios for debate

Members of the media set up in the spin room at the CBS Broadcast Center ahead of the vice presidential debate on September 30, 2024 in New York City. 
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
Members of the media set up in the spin room at the CBS Broadcast Center ahead of the vice presidential debate on September 30, 2024 in New York City. 

Walz and Vance are on their way to the debate.

The 90-minute face-off is taking place at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.

The last time New York City hosted a presidential or vice presidential debate was in 1960, for John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon's fourth showdown, according to CBS.

— Annie Nova

After the debate, Walz and Fetterman will hit the road in PA

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joins U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee members for a news conference to discuss the details of the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 18, 2023. 
Sarah Silbiger | Reuters
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joins U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee members for a news conference to discuss the details of the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 18, 2023. 

After tonight's debate, Walz will hit the road for a bus tour through central Pennsylvania with the state's junior senator, Democrat John Fetterman, the Harris campaign says.

The tour will kick off from Middletown on Wednesday afternoon, then head to a campaign rally with Fetterman in York. Walz is scheduled to attend an event with local Latino leaders in Reading later Wednesday afternoon.

The trip marks Walz's fifth visit to Pennsylvania since joining the Harris campaign in August.

Kevin Breuninger

Sealed court filing in Jan. 6 criminal election case hangs over Trump campaign

Special counsel Jack Smith makes a statement to reporters about the 37 federal charges returned by a grand jury in an indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump on charges of unauthorized retention of classified documents and conspiracy to obstruct justice as Smith speaks at his offices in Washington, U.S. June 9, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Special counsel Jack Smith makes a statement to reporters about the 37 federal charges returned by a grand jury in an indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump on charges of unauthorized retention of classified documents and conspiracy to obstruct justice as Smith speaks at his offices in Washington, U.S. June 9, 2023.

A sealed court filing in the criminal election case against Trump is threatening to affect the outcome of the election, his defense lawyers argue.

In the sealed filing, Smith's prosecutors have included so-far-secret evidence in their case against Trump, who is charged with crimes related to his attempt to overturn Biden's victory in the 2020 election. Smith's office filed the document to argue that at least some of Trump's conduct was not protected by presidential immunity.

Trump's lawyers accused prosecutors from Special Counsel Jack Smith's office of seeking to make "their politically motivated manifesto to be public ... in the final weeks of the 2024 Presidential election while early voting has begun throughout the United States."

In a new filing today in federal court in Washington, D.C., Trump's lawyers oppose a number of proposed redactions Smith's office has suggested be made so that the prosecution's document can be unsealed.

- Dan Mangan

Trump pulls out of big '60 Minutes' interview, Harris stays in

Trump has pulled out of CBS' "60 Minutes" presidential election special on Oct. 7, the official account of the show announced on X today.

"60 Minutes" says the Trump campaign initially agreed to do the interview, which is part of a long-running tradition wherein the iconic news magazine interviews both presidential nominees in the same episode, ahead of the election.

Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung wrote in an X post that no interview was locked in or scheduled beyond initial discussions.

Trump abruptly walked out of his last "60 Minutes" interview on the lead up to the 2020 election, later claiming in an X post that it was a "fake and biased interview."

A Harris interview will be broadcast on Monday at 8 p.m. ET as planned, and "60 Minutes" says the original invitation to Trump still stands.

— Ece Yildirim

Minnesota's crime rate fell last year under Walz

A Minneapolis Police officer rolls up caution tape at a crime scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
A Minneapolis Police officer rolls up caution tape at a crime scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

The rate of violent crimes in Minnesota dropped by 7% and the number of larcenies dropped to their lowest level in a half-century in 2023, when Walz was governor, according to the state's Department of Public Safety.

Total property crimes dropped by 13% in Minnesota last year, the department's statistics show.

The stats were released on Aug. 16, more than a week after hosts on the right-wing media outlet Fox News criticized Walz for an increase in the state's crime rate. Those hosts cited statistics from 2021, which showed a 21% increase in violent crimes in Minnesota.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Minnesota as of 2022 had the 11th lowest rate of deaths by homicide of any state.

- Dan Mangan

Walz's claims about trips to China are under scrutiny

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic nominee for president, attends a rally to kick off their campaign at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic nominee for president, attends a rally to kick off their campaign at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

Walz's previous claims that he was in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre are under scrutiny, after multiple news outlets reported that the Democratic running mate was in Nebraska around that time.

Walz, a former public school teacher who organized teaching trips in China, has said publicly that he was in Hong Kong both on the day of the June 4, 1989, massacre in Beijing, and in the weeks preceding it.

But newspaper reports from that time place Walz in Nebraska in May 1989, according to reporting from the Washington Free Beacon, CNN and other outlets.

Walz has also overstated the number of trips he took to China, multiple outlets reported. While he has previously claimed to have visited the country around "30 times," a Harris campaign spokesperson told CNN that the true number was "likely closer to 15."

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Kevin Breuninger

Like Trump, Vance will come to the spin room himself after debate

Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaks with media at the airport before he departs on September 14, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. 
Allison Joyce | Getty Images
Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) speaks with media at the airport before he departs on September 14, 2024 in Greenville, North Carolina. 

Vance is expected to pay a visit to the spin room after tonight's debate, a source familiar with the planning tells NBC News, echoing Trump's decision to do so after his one and only presidential debate.

The sight of a candidate in the political spin room after a debate is rare.

But after the September 10 debate between Trump and Harris, the former president made a brief surprise appearance, where he answered questions from the press and insisted he had won the face-off.

"It was the best debate, personally, that I have ever had," Trump said.

— Ece Yildirim

Walz leads Vance in voter approval, but neither of them hits 50%

Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.
Getty Images
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, left, and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

Voters like Walz more than they like Vance, but relative to vice presidential candidates throughout history, both of them are earning tepid approval ratings.

According to NBC News' September poll of 1,000 registered voters, 40% said they felt positively about Walz versus 32% who said the same of Vance. Notably, Vance had the lowest net favorability in the history of the NBC News poll.

New Gallup data echoes those results, finding both candidates with less than a majority of voters' approval. That's a break with the historical norm.

Between 2000 and 2012, every vice presidential nominee in Gallup polling has received positive marks from a majority of voters after their party conventions.

Rebecca Picciotto

Trump ignores upcoming Vance debate in lengthy campaign remarks

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee, Wisconsin, Oct. 1, 2024.
Kamil Krzaczynski | AFP | Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee, Wisconsin, Oct. 1, 2024.

In more than an hour of uninterrupted remarks earlier today, Trump revisited his economic promises, rehashed debunked attack lines about his opponent, and even spent several minutes opining on the casting of the film "Full Metal Jacket."

Yet with the vice presidential debate just a few hours away, Trump made no mention of his running mate or tonight's face-off.

At the start of his 73-minute campaign speech in Waunakee, Wisconsin, Trump said he would focus on the economy. But he soon began to pinball around to other topics.

He vowed to help survivors of the devastating Hurricane Helene, and thanked Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for responding to his request to bring Starlink internet services to hard-hit areas.

He railed against Harris on foreign policy, the economy, the environment and immigration. In one instance, he falsely claimed she would allow "200 million" undocumented immigrants into the country if she won the election.

At another point, Trump spent about two minutes describing how the late actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor R. Lee Ermey secured his famous role in Stanley Kubrick's epic Vietnam War film.

"How good was that movie, right? Doesn't get too much better," Trump said to some applause.

Kevin Breuninger

Some people say there's no free lunch. Tim Walz begs to differ

Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) Governor Tim Walz gets a huge hug from students at Webster Elementary in Minneapolis, Minn., after he signed into law a bill that guarantees free school meals, (breakfast and lunch) for every student in Minnesota's public and charter schools on Friday, March 17, 2023. 
Elizabeth Flores | Star Tribune | Getty Images
Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party) Governor Tim Walz gets a huge hug from students at Webster Elementary in Minneapolis, Minn., after he signed into law a bill that guarantees free school meals, (breakfast and lunch) for every student in Minnesota's public and charter schools on Friday, March 17, 2023. 

Walz has made free school meals a policy issue in the presidential race — and a topic that could come up at the debate.

For part of the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government offered free school meals to most K-12 students.

But when Congress didn't extend the policy, Walz, a former teacher, signed a bill in 2023 to provide breakfast and lunch to the Minnesota's public school students at no charge, regardless of household income.

Seven other states — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico and Vermont — have also passed laws to create universal free school meal programs, according to the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center.

— Annie Nova

Lara Trump: Vance will press Walz on Harris' immigration, economic, Middle East policies

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump speaks on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024. 
Jeenah Moon | Reuters
Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump speaks on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 16, 2024. 

Tonight, Vance might seek to pressure Walz on his running mate Harris' track record as vice president, Republican National Committee Co-Chair and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump said today on NBC News Now's Meet the Press NOW.

"Things like the economy, immigration, those are the top two issues for the American people. I suspect that you are going to hear Tim Walz pressed quite a bit on that again, if not by the moderators, certainly by JD Vance," Trump said.

Trump added that she's "sure" that Vance will touch on the recent escalations of the conflict in the Middle East.

Lara Trump went on to tout her father-in-law's Abraham Accords, which sought to normalize ties between Israel and a number of Arab nations. But Trump's track record in office on the Middle East isn't without controversy, especially his decision to withdraw the United States from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal.

— Ece Yildirim

Harris: Israel, with U.S. help, 'was able to defeat this attack'

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the media, Tuesday Oct. 1, 2024, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin | AP
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to members of the media, Tuesday Oct. 1, 2024, in Washington.

Harris condemned the Iranian missile attack against Israel in brief remarks this afternoon, saying Iran is a "destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East."

"Today's attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact," she said.

"I fully support President Biden's order for the U.S. military to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel, just as we did in April. We are still assessing the impact, but initial indications are that Israel, with our assistance, was able to defeat this attack," Harris said.

"Let us be clear: Iran is not only a threat to Israel," she said. "Iran is also a threat to American personnel in the region, American interests and innocent civilians across the region who suffer at the hands of Iran-based and -backed terrorist proxies."

— Josephine Rozzelle

New photo from White House Situation Room shows Harris, Biden monitoring Iran attacks

The White House has released a new photo from the Situation Room showing Harris and Biden monitoring the Iranian missile attacks on Israel earlier Tuesday.

— Ece Yildirim

Vance could roll back Biden administration's work on student loan forgiveness

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance speaks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 92 in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, Aug. 15, 2024.
Rebecca Droke | AFP | Getty Images
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance speaks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 92 in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, Aug. 15, 2024.

Vance is not a fan of student loan forgiveness.

"Forgiving student debt is a massive windfall to the rich, to the college educated, and most of all to the corrupt university administrators of America," Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, wrote on X in April 2022.

"Republicans must fight this with every ounce of our energy and power," Vance wrote.

Vance's past opposition to the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness proposals could threaten ongoing efforts to reduce or eliminate people's debts, experts say.

Several of President Joe Biden's relief measures are currently tied up in court from GOP-led lawsuits, including his redo effort to cancel the loans of tens of millions of Americans and his new affordable repayment plan for borrowers, known as SAVE.

If the Republican ticket wins in November, a Trump-Vance administration is less likely to defend the Biden-era student loan forgiveness plans, experts say.

"Republicans generally oppose student loan forgiveness," said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. "A Trump-Vance administration is likely to drop the legal defense of the SAVE repayment plan and Plan B for broad student loan forgiveness in the pending court cases."

Annie Nova

Klobuchar, Kelly and Pritzker among those who will be 'spinning' for Walz tonight

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during a campaign rally at the Altria Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, Feb. 29, 2020.
Zach Gibson | Getty Images
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during a campaign rally at the Altria Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, Feb. 29, 2020.

High-profile Democrats including Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will be praising Walz's performance in the spin room tonight after the debate.

Both Kelly and Pritzker were among those considered for Harris' VP pick, before the presidential hopeful went with Walz. Kelly, in particular, was a strong contender for the role.

Klobuchar previously ran against both Harris and Biden in the Democratic primaries for the 2020 presidential election.

Other post-debate surrogates announced so far by the Harris-Walz campaign include Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, a first-term lawmaker and rising star among the Democrats for her knack for creating viral moments, Democratic National Convention Chair Jaime Harrison, and Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico.

— Ece Yildirim

Vance's vision of health care puts Obamacare at risk, experts say

An Obamacare sign is seen outside of the Leading Insurance Agency, which offers plans under the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) on January 28, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
An Obamacare sign is seen outside of the Leading Insurance Agency, which offers plans under the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) on January 28, 2021 in Miami, Florida.

Vance's vision for health care under another Trump administration is cause for concern for proponents of the Affordable Care Act.

"We're going to actually implement some regulatory reform in the health-care system that allows people to choose a health-care plan that works for them," Vance said at a September campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Trump administration would likely expand availability of non-ACA compliant plans, experts say. While former President Donald Trump was in office, for example, enrollment in short-term plans spiked.

Fans of these plans say they allow insurers to offer consumers lower monthly premiums because they're not required to cover as many services. At the same time, the plans are able to reject people with pre-existing conditions or charge them more. 

The Ohio senator said that they'd "allow people with similar health situations to be in the same risk pools."

That's a troubling prospect for the future of the ACA, said Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy.

That's because the non-ACA compliant plans will "siphon away" younger and healthier people from the ACA marketplace, Corlette said.

"The risk is that you're going to be left with the ACA plans only serving sick people, and that's not a sustainable insurance market," she said. "Over time, ACA premiums will go up and up and up."

— Annie Nova

Here's where Vance and Walz stand on organized labor

Longshoremen with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and their supporters picket outside of the Dundalk Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore on October 01, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. 
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
Longshoremen with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and their supporters picket outside of the Dundalk Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore on October 01, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. 

The debate will take place against the backdrop of a major dockworker strike, as members of the International Longshoremen's Association walk off the job at ports along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.

The ILA's first strike in nearly half a century could have a major impact on global supply chains, adding new weight and urgency to some of the election's top issues: the economy, wages and labor protections.

A former public school teacher, Walz has touted himself as a "dues-paying, card-carrying member of my teachers union." As Minnesota governor, he has expanded union bargaining protections for Amazon workers, imposed a minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers and passed universal paid family and medical leave.

Vance, who postures as more of a right-wing populist than a traditional conservative, has at times shown hostility to corporate power.

In January, he was one of few Republicans to co-sign a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about the mistreatment of workers. In September, he accused Apple of benefiting from "Chinese slave labor," adding, "that's pretty sick."

But as an Ohio senator, Vance has opposed the PRO Act, a sweeping labor reform bill that would strengthen union protections.

So far, the Harris campaign has secured the endorsement of the United Autoworkers and at least five other national union groups. Notably, the Teamsters decided not to endorse a candidate this year, breaking from its traditional Democratic endorsement.

Rebecca Picciotto

Trump touts tariff plan in op-ed that doesn't mention Vance

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump pauses before speaking during a campaign rally at the Mosack Group warehouse on September 25, 2024 in Mint Hill, North Carolina. 
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump pauses before speaking during a campaign rally at the Mosack Group warehouse on September 25, 2024 in Mint Hill, North Carolina. 

Trump in a new op-ed vowed to aggressively wield tariffs to punish manufacturers that do not make their products in the United States.

His op-ed in Newsweek dangled a sweet deal for businesses — low taxes, costs and regulations — but "only if you make your products here in America and hire American workers for the job," he wrote.

"If these companies don't take the deal, they'll pay a tariff when they send their products—made in another country—to us," Trump wrote.

While Trump's piece was published just hours before the vice presidential debate, it makes no mention of his running mate.

Economists have repeatedly warned that Trump's sweeping tariff proposals will raise costs on American consumers.

Kevin Breuninger

Vance will 'wipe the floor' with Walz by focusing on the economy and border, Rep. Tom Emmer says

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who helped Vance prepare for the debate by roleplaying as Walz, predicts a knockout victory for the Ohio senator.

"I'm very confident JD is going to wipe the floor with him," Emmer told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday morning, "because he's going to go back to the economy, the border, crime."

Emmer said he pored over every debate Walz has done since he entered politics, studying the Minnesota governor's favorite phrases and mannerisms.

"My job was to make sure that I showed JD what he's going to do. Tim is going to rely on his folksy personality, this character that he plays. He's not going to get into substance," Emmer said.

— Ece Yildirim

Escalating Middle East conflict looms over Vance, Walz debate

Arif Ali | Afp | Getty Images
Activists and supporters of Imamiya Student Organization (ISO) burn US and Israel national flags as they take part in a protest in Lahore on July 31, 2024, against the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in an air strike. Pakistan said on July 31 that the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in neighbouring Iran was a "reckless act", describing his assassination in an air strike blamed on Israel as "terrorism". 

Tensions between Israel and Iran appear to be escalating hours before Vance and Walz take the stage, teeing up an urgent backdrop for any debate questions related to foreign policy.

Iran is preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel, a U.S. official told NBC News, a sign that the war in Gaza is proliferating into an all-out regional conflict in the Middle East.

So far, Vance supports unconditional military support to Israel, staying in line with the GOP position. He has worked to frame Walz as a radical leftist on the issue. In an August Newsmax interview, for example, Vance said Walz represented "the Hamas caucus of the Democrat Party."

Walz has mainly followed the Harris campaign line, condemning Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and calling for a cease-fire deal.

Vance could also use the widening Middle East war as a chance to revive his attacks against Walz's military record. Walz served for 24 years in the Army National Guard but was never deployed to a combat zone, which Vance, a Marine veteran, claimed he lied about.

Rebecca Picciotto

Trump says Vance will 'expose' Walz and Biden on the border

Migrants from Central and South America walk along the Border Wall as they look to surrender to border officials after crossing into the United States from Mexico in Ruby, Arizona, U.S., June 24, 2024. 
Adrees Latif | Reuters
Migrants from Central and South America walk along the Border Wall as they look to surrender to border officials after crossing into the United States from Mexico in Ruby, Arizona, U.S., June 24, 2024. 

Trump hopes immigration will be the main focus of the debate, saying he expects Vance will attack Walz aggressively on that key issue.

"I think he will expose what a scam the governor is, and the president is, in terms of the border," Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News on Tuesday morning.

Trump on the call also reiterated that he has not given Vance any pre-debate advice, saying, "He doesn't need a lot of advice. He's a pro."

Kevin Breuninger

Vance 'spin room' surrogates include Trump Jr., Howard Lutnick

Donald Trump Jr., son of former President Donald Trump, prepares to speak during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.
Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
Donald Trump Jr., son of former President Donald Trump, prepares to speak during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024.

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will be in the "spin room" after the debate to praise Vance's performance, a spokesperson for Vance tells NBC News.

Lutnick, one of the Republican ticket's strongest allies on Wall Street, has also been tapped to help lead Trump's presidential transition team. Earlier this month, Vance headlined a $10,000-a-plate-minimum breakfast fundraiser in New York City co-hosted by Lutnick, CNBC reported.

Stefanik was one of the front-runners to be Trump's vice presidential pick before the former president picked Vance in July.

Vance's other post-debate surrogates will be senior Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller, GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Katie Britt of Alabama, and Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, NBC reports.

— Ece Yildirim

Why Springfield, Ohio, is dogging Vance

A mural is displayed in an alley downtown on September 16, 2024 in Springfield, Ohio. 
Luke Sharrett | Getty Images
A mural is displayed in an alley downtown on September 16, 2024 in Springfield, Ohio. 

Vance and Walz may be debating in Manhattan, but their focus is likely to shift some 600 miles west to Springfield, Ohio, which became the epicenter of a raging political battle after the Republican ticket stoked lies about the city's influx of Haitian immigrants.

In September, Vance repeatedly amplified unsubstantiated rumors about Haitians stealing and eating Springfield residents' pets. He later defended spreading the false claims, at one point telling CNN that he was willing to "create stories" in order to get his message across.

Trump also spread the conspiracies online — and then, in a much-mocked moment from his debate with Harris, falsely claimed, "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs ... they're eating the cats ... they're eating the pets of the people that live there."

Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has repeatedly denounced the claims being spread by Trump and Vance.

Kevin Breuninger

Vance dines with rich GOP donors on eve of debate

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance reacts while speaking to the media on the day of the debate between Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 10, 2024. 
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance reacts while speaking to the media on the day of the debate between Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 10, 2024. 

Vance huddled with Republican megadonors at a private dinner in New York on Monday, the eve of his debate with Walz, an invitee to the event tells CNBC.

The senator dined with donors from the America Opportunity Alliance, said the invitee, who was granted anonymity in order to speak about the private event.

The group acts as a network for wealthy Republican financiers and was founded by the likes of longtime investors Paul Singer and Ken Griffin.

Griffin, the billionaire CEO of Citadel, has backed conservative Republican candidates in the 2024 cycle, but he has not publicly endorsed Trump.

The timing of Vance's meeting is crucial for the GOP ticket, which has struggled to keep up with a fundraising surge for Harris since she entered the race in July.

She outraised Trump in August. The vice president's campaign brought in more than $189 million over that time period, while Trump raised about $44 million.

— Brian Schwartz

In a norm-busting election, the unthinkable: a VP debate that actually matters

This combination of images shows Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, at left in Erie, Pa., Aug. 28, 2024, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaking at the DNC in Chicago, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. 
AP
This combination of images shows Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, at left in Erie, Pa., Aug. 28, 2024, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaking at the DNC in Chicago, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. 

If past is prologue, the Walz-Vance face-off may as well not even happen — at least according to some analysts, who say it's hard to tell whether vice presidential debates affect the overall race.

But the 2024 cycle has already made confetti of political norms, and there are some genuinely good reasons to think Tuesday's debate might actually matter.

For one, the showdown might be the final time that the two presidential tickets share a stage before Election Day. Trump and Harris debated just once, and the GOP nominee has repeatedly shut down the possibility of squaring off again.

The nominees have also been less visible: Harris has done few interviews since taking the reins in July, and Trump has done far fewer rallies than in his prior presidential runs.

Trump and Harris, meanwhile, are running neck and neck in most of the swing states that will decide the election, polls show. If the running mates can move the needle at all, they might upend the race.

Kevin Breuninger

Vance has more to gain from this debate than Walz does, analysts say

US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance arrives to speak about the economy at Majestic Friesians Horse Farms in Big Rapids, Michigan, on August 27, 2024. 
Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty Images
US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance arrives to speak about the economy at Majestic Friesians Horse Farms in Big Rapids, Michigan, on August 27, 2024. 

Vance is playing for more at tonight's debate due to his already low approval ratings, Pimco analysts say in a new report.

Typically, the analysts note, VP debates tend to have a negligible effect on presidential races. But given that this election is set to be won "by a matter of inches, not feet," the running mates' performances tonight may carry heavier weight than usual.

So far, Vance's comments about "childless cat ladies" and debunked claims about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, have put the Trump campaign on several bouts of damage control.

Those blunders and his low approval ratings give Vance "more upside — and potentially more downside as well" in the face-off against Walz, the analysts wrote.

Rebecca Picciotto

Trump has slight edge to win, House and Senate likely to flip: Stifel Financial analyst

Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 29, 2024. 
Brian Snyder | Reuters
Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 29, 2024. 

Trump is slightly favored to win the election, even though Harris is ahead in the polls, according to Stifel Financial's chief Washington policy strategist.

"Based on election fundamentals and comparisons of past election to the current one, we think Trump is in a better position to win the Electoral College vote than some people realize," Brian Gardner writes in a new analyst note.

He points to voters' lingering doubts about the economy and Trump's enduring, albeit shrinking, advantage on the issue. And while Harris currently holds a roughly 2-point lead in the polls, Gardner says that Trump is in a stronger position now than he was in the 2016 election, when he beat Hillary Clinton.

Gardner cites the RealClearPolitics polling average, which in recent election cycles has faced scrutiny over the data it chooses to aggregate.

The analyst also favors Republicans to flip the Senate — which Democrats currently lead 51-49 — but predicts the GOP is more likely to lose its majority in the House.

Kevin Breuninger

Vance takes a crack at MSNBC anchor for correcting hyperbolic egg claim

Cartons of eggs at Lincoln Market in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, June 12, 2023.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Cartons of eggs at Lincoln Market in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, June 12, 2023.

Vance fired back at MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle this week for fact-checking his claim that his children "eat about 14 eggs every single morning."

Vance made the statement on Sept. 21 during a campaign stop at a Pennsylvania supermarket, attempting to make a point about high grocery costs under the Biden administration.

Over a week later, Ruhle pointed out in a post on X that eating 14 eggs per day would result in the children eating 98 eggs per week. Vance has three children, ages 6, 4 and 2.

He responded to Ruhle by implying that the egg statement was mere hyperbole, and that the MSNBC anchor was taking the claim too literally.

"One time I said I was so tired I could sleep for days," Vance wrote in his Monday post. "Stephanie Ruhle: Vance, in fact, only slept for 8 hours."

Rebecca Picciotto

Netflix cancellations surged after chairman endorsed Harris in July: Report

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings speaks during an interview on day two of the Netflix See What's Next: Asia event at the Marina Bay Sands on November 9, 2018 in Singapore.
Ore Huiying | Getty Images
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings speaks during an interview on day two of the Netflix See What's Next: Asia event at the Marina Bay Sands on November 9, 2018 in Singapore.

Netflix was hit with a surge in cancellations in the five days after its co-founder and chairman, Reed Hastings, endorsed Harris for president in an X post in July, Bloomberg reported. At the time, Hastings also announced in an interview that he donated $7 million to a pro-Harris PAC.

The rate of cancellations nearly tripled in the U.S. in the days following the endorsement, according to data from market research firm Antenna. July 26, four days after the endorsement, was the single worst day for Netflix cancellations this year.

— Ece Yildirim

Here's what to know about Walz's track record in Minnesota

U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Aug. 21, 2024.
Mike Segar | Reuters
U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Aug. 21, 2024.

Walz has a policy record in Minnesota that some progressives might only dream of.

With a Democratic governing trifecta and a nearly $18 billion budget surplus, Walz has been able to strengthen union protections, invest more than $1 billion in housing resources, pass universal paid family and medical leave, make school lunch free for all students, hike corporate taxes and more.

Walz's policy achievements serve as a proving ground for some of the Harris campaign's economic platform. But his liberal spending record and at-times tense relationship with corporations could also serve as a line of attack for Vance in tonight's debate.

Read more CNBC coverage of Walz's corporate battles and his overall Minnesota track record.

Rebecca Picciotto

Where are the candidates ahead of the debate?

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, poses for photos with the Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, before making remarks to a crowd during an event at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Aug. 21, 2024.
Melissa Sue Gerrits | Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, poses for photos with the Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, before making remarks to a crowd during an event at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Aug. 21, 2024.

Walz will begin the day in Harbor Springs, Michigan, where he and his team have been since Saturday, preparing for the debate. He will make his way to New York City in the morning.

Like Harris, Walz did his debate prep in a swing state, seizing the opportunity to log a few extra days in a battleground and potentially earn some goodwill among voters there.

Vance flew from Ohio to New York City on Monday afternoon, ahead of tonight's debate.

While Harris has no scheduled campaign appearances for the day, Trump has two in Wisconsin. The former president will deliver remarks at 2:30 p.m. ET at a manufacturer in Waunakee, followed by remarks at 6 p.m. ET at Discovery World Science & Technology Museum in Milwaukee.

— Ece Yildirim

Vance-Walz debate set in New York City, an epicenter of the affordability crisis

Skyscrapers loom over downtown Manhattan, in New York City, March 31, 2022.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Skyscrapers loom over downtown Manhattan, in New York City, March 31, 2022.

Vance and Walz will face off tonight in New York City, a fitting backdrop for a sparring match that could focus on the economy and high cost of living, which consistently rank as voters' top issues.

New York City is plagued by an ongoing affordability crisis.

As of 2022, the median home price in New York City was $724,000, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The median household income that year was $72,000. As a result, nearly 70% of the population rent their homes.

The office market has also suffered in the wake of the pandemic as remote work policies hollowed out office buildings, leaving some sectors within commercial real estate crumbling.

Still, home to Wall Street and a burgeoning tech sector, New York City's five boroughs comprise the largest economy in the state and one of the largest in the world.

Rebecca Picciotto

The New York Times: 'Harris is the only patriotic choice for president'

The New York Times building in New York on Oct. 26, 2022.
Beata Zawrzel | Nurphoto | Getty Images
The New York Times building in New York on Oct. 26, 2022.

The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Harris for president in an opinion piece, calling her "the only patriotic choice for president."

"It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump," the editorial board wrote, arguing that the former president is "morally" and "temperamentally unfit" for the role.

The piece also criticized Trump's criminal charges and older age compared to Harris, as well as "his fundamental lack of interest in policy and his increasingly bizarre cast of associates."

"A second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first," the editorial board wrote.

— Ece Yildirim

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