Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate was supposed to be a showcase for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate, but what it turned into was a JD Vance masterclass in how to completely dismantle your opponent. Walz, as if scripted by Murphy’s Law, delivered more blows to himself than Vance could have possibly hoped for. And none of those gaffes were bigger—or more cringe-worthy—than when Walz proudly declared, “I’ve become friends with school shooters.” Yes, you read that right.
Tim Walz: “I’ve become friends with school shooters” pic.twitter.com/p2FIoOkj8J
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 2, 2024
Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt here—he probably meant to say something along the lines of “friends with victims of school shootings.” But Walz being Walz, the gaffe machine was in full gear, and the damage was done. In a race where every word counts, that’s the kind of flub that campaign managers wake up in cold sweats about. Social media, predictably, had a field day with it.
TIM WALZ IS YOUR NEW MISS SPOKE! #VPDebate #VPDebate2024 pic.twitter.com/6EixYuQFLe
— LEAHmemes (@itsreallyleah) October 2, 2024
Former President Donald Trump, never one to miss an opportunity, lit up Truth Social with a mocking post that left no doubt about what he thought of Walz’s latest verbal disaster. But the best reactions were on X (formerly Twitter), where users took aim at Walz with the kind of biting humor that the internet thrives on. One user hilariously imagined Kamala Harris’ face when she heard Walz’s gaffe: a blend of horror and disbelief. Another joked about JD Vance’s likely reaction: “Damn, brother. I don’t believe I’d have told that.” Even meme creators jumped on the moment, dubbing Walz “Miss Spoke”—a title that, let’s be honest, fits perfectly after a blunder of that magnitude.
#boom pic.twitter.com/AslMpfO407
— MikesRight (@RealLibSmacker) October 2, 2024
And here’s the thing: Walz didn’t even seem to realize what he had said. He just kept on going, oblivious to the fact that his campaign might’ve just imploded on national television. Maybe it’s because he’s gotten so used to brushing off his other issues—like his endless string of fibs—that he figured this would just blow over. Spoiler alert: It won’t.
“JD crushed it! Walz was a Low IQ Disaster – Very much like Kamala. Our Country would never be able to recover from an Administration of these two. Can you imagine them representing us with sharp, fierce Foreign Leaders? I can’t!” – Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/0iivehhl1a
— Frank (@truthlyfrank) October 2, 2024
Meanwhile, CNN was already in full spin mode before the debate even started. Democratic strategist David Axelrod tried to preemptively downplay Vance’s inevitable victory by calling him “predatory” and suggesting that Walz’s strength is his “warmth” and “everydayness.” Yeah, sure. In Axelrod’s analogy, Vance was the coyote, and Walz the Labrador. Spoiler alert again: The Labrador didn’t just get swiped; he got devoured.
JD Vance is hardly a coyote. As one clever commenter pointed out, he’s more like a wolf—and on Tuesday night, he took down his prey with precision. Vance didn’t need to shout, grandstand, or go full attack mode to make his point. He stayed calm, collected, and let Walz make all the mistakes for him. It’s not every day you see a candidate walk into a debate and practically hand the win to their opponent, but Tim Walz pulled it off.
TIM WALZ IS YOUR NEW MISS SPOKE! #VPDebate #VPDebate2024 pic.twitter.com/6EixYuQFLe
— LEAHmemes (@itsreallyleah) October 2, 2024
If this debate is any indicator, the Harris-Walz ticket may already be in serious trouble. Walz’s “school shooters” comment didn’t just hurt his credibility—it handed JD Vance and the Republicans a gift that they’ll be using for the rest of the campaign.
