Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley suggested Monday that October 1 will be a decisive day in the 2024 presidential election — when vice presidential candidates Tim Walz (D) and JD Vance (R) face off in a televised debate.
It’s “the big moment,” Brinkley, a professor of history at Rice University, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“It will be, I think, the most important vice presidential debate in US history if we pit Walz against Vance. That’s coming our way, and it could be the last chance [GOP nominee Donald] Trump has done that, if Vance can somehow score points and get an edge out of it,” he explained.
Brinkley’s prediction came after host Joe Scarborough asked what’s at stake in November. That followed a discussion about how close Trump and Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris are in some polls.
“American democracy, nothing less,” Brinkley responded. “Donald Trump is a usurper of democracy, he is a wrecking ball.”
“We have an opportunity to unite, Kamala Harris is doing a fantastic job, the momentum is going her way, and I think it’s just getting more young people involved, and North Carolina is the state, I know everyone is waiting for Pennsylvania , North Carolina is really interesting that Harris has a chance to win there,” he added.
Brinkley later predicted a “doomsday scenario” if “radioactive” Trump wins back the White House. “People better wake up, take the smelling salt and pay attention right away. The next few days will go quickly,” he warned.
Walz and Vance will face off during the CBS News-hosted debate on October 1. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has reportedly stepped into Vance’s role to assist Walz in mock debate sessions.
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