Tim Walz and Kamala Harris laughing at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(Andrew Harnik/Getty)

‘January 6th was not Facebook ads’: Tim Walz quickly shuts down JD Vance’s Capitol insurrection denial following Trump’s 2020 election defeat

Nobody forgot the violence that ensued on January 6th, 2021, in the name of Donald Trump. Tim Walz didn’t leave JD Vance any room to deny the reality of that event.

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One of the moderators from CBS News at the vice presidential debate, Norah O’Donnell, asked JD Vance a question he couldn’t answer directly. “Would you again seek to challenge this year’s election results, even if every governor certifies the results?” Vance claimed that Donald Trump peacefully transferred power, then said that it was normal to protest election results. He also cited Russian interference through Facebook ads, which became a point of discussion after the 2016 presidential election. T

Tim Walz quickly rebutted Vance with, “January 6th was not Facebook ads.” It was a hilarious response, which directly addressed Vance’s revisionist claims.

Walz further explained, “This was a threat to our democracy in a way that we had not seen. It manifested itself because of Donald Trump’s inability to say—he’s still saying that he didn’t lose the election.” Trump still denies he lost the presidency in 2020, even during his debate performance against Joe Biden in June 2024. Walz reminded viewers that January 6th was the first time a US president incited people to overturn the results of a fair election. The consequences of Trump’s inability to concede the race were brutal.

Walz proceeded to press Vance by asking Vance directly if Donald Trump lost the election. Vance again did not respond. Instead, Vance tried to divert the debate to alleged censorship by Kamala Harris over COVID-19.

Waltz then said, “That’s a damning non-answer.” That summarizes the exchange, because not once did Vance directly address the original question asked by moderator O’Donnell. Vance did not answer if he would challenge the election results. Furthermore, Vance also refused to admit Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential elections. It should be a simple yes or no response, given that Trump’s loss is a fact that leaves no room for a debate.


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Vanessa Esguerra
Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.