2024 election live updates: Chaos erupts outside of J.D. Vance and Tim Walz’s high-stakes

The White House Correspondents association issued a statement saying it has grown ‘increasingly concerned’ about a lack of media access at the presidential and vice presidential debates.

The statement hours before the VP debate bemoaned an ‘unprecedented backsliding in access,’ and noted the campaigns bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates. TV networks ‘broke access traditions,’ the statement said.

CBS is allowing a single print ‘pool’ reporter and one TV pooler, along with photographers, to cover the event. They ‘won’t be permitted to move around to take photos.’ Traditional a full complement of poolers has eyes on the candidates, and can pick up unscripted moments that aren’t captured by the live TV cameras.

‘These restrictions are part of an alarming trend: as you may remember, there was no editorial presence in the debate hall at all during the CNN debate, other than CNN,’ according to the statement, which was sent to reporters who cover the White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed Iran’s attack on Israel Tuesday by reading a statement to reporters and not answering any questions.

The Democratic nominee for president said she ‘fully supports’ President Joe Biden’s decision to order the U.S. military to aid Israel and pointed out that she was in the Situation Room alongside the president ‘as we monitored the attack in real time.’

‘As I have said, I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran backed terrorist militias. My commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering,’ Harris said.

Harris’ statement came shortly after Biden addressed the situation and took several questions from reporters during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room on the continued Hurricane Helene response.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson told investors at the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday President Joe Biden must send a clear message to Iran following its strike on Israel.

After the Islamic Republic launched roughly 180 missiles at Israel the Jewish Nation is mulling how to react – and the GOP congressional leader is hoping the White House will empower that response.

‘We’re praying for the safety of the Israeli families, of course, and the House GOP leadership is urging the Biden Harris administration to deliver a strong message to the Iranian regime that this unjustified violence and terror has to end,’ the speaker told a crowd at the New York Stock Exchange just minutes after the market closed.

‘President Biden needs to make clear that there will be decisive economic and potential military ramifications for these actions,’ Johnson said. ‘Right now, American leadership has never been more important, and we need a maximum pressure campaign on Iran and its terror proxies.’

The speaker also laid out an economic plan should the GOP take control this November.

Among his proposals were extending and building upon Trump’s tax cuts, confronting China’s unfair trade practices with policy, roll back costly energy regulations, expanding school choice and cutting wasteful government bloat.

The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump faces a jury trial after the election.

Judge Aileen Cannon set a jury trial for Ryan Wesley Routh for November 18 in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Routh, 58, is charged with attempting to assassinate a major political candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and three felony gun charges.

President Joe Biden reiterated the U.S.’s support of ally Israel after Iran’s rocket attack on the nation earlier Tuesday.

‘At my direction, the United States military actively supported the defense of Israel,’ Biden said.

‘The attack appears to be defeated and ineffective,’ Biden told reporters from the Roosevelt Room Tueday afternoon. ‘Make no mistake the United States is fully fully fully supportive of Israel.’

The president said he had yet to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but would speak to him soon.

‘My message to him will depend on what we finally conclude is needed,’ Biden said.

He said how Israel will respond to the attack is in ‘active discussion’ and the consequences to Iran ‘remain to be seen.’

Vice President Kamala Harris is trailing former President Donald Trump when it comes to crucial senior voters in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania as the economy remains the top issue for them.

According to new polling by AARP, Trump leads among voters fifty and older by a whopping eight points in the state, 52 percent to 44 percent, and these voters signal that they are very motivated to cast ballots in the election.

Pennsylvania with its nineteen electoral votes is one of the most important swing states for both Trump and Harris on their path for the White House, and it could decide the entire election.

The polling found while Trump leads among seniors, the race overall remains close in Pennsylvania with Harris up 49 percent to Trump’s 47 percent. Three percent of voters remain undecided with just 35 days to go before Election Day.

The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson called Iran’s attack today a ‘severe and dangerous escalation.’

Iran’s attack is a severe and dangerous escalation. There will be consequences…We will respond wherever, whenever and however we choose, in accordance with the directive of the government of Israel.

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

Former President Donald Trump said in Wisconsin that Iran launched its ballistic missile attack on Israel because it doesn’t ‘respect’ the U.S., then veered into election fraud claims.

‘That’s why Israel was under attack just a little while ago because they don’t respect our country anymore,’ Trump told a crowd in Waunakee on a trip to the battleground state.

‘This would have never happened in the Middle East. There wouldn’t have been October 7th. You wouldn’t have had inflation,’ he said, echoeing his own online posts from earlier.

‘These people are grossly incompetent, and now we have them in charge of potentially World War III,’ he said of President Biden and VP Kamala Harris, who he accused of having ‘flooded’ Iran with American cash.

Trump diverted form his comments on the unfolding foreign policy challenge, complaining about the Biden administration trade to release WNBA star Brittney Griner for ‘merchant of death’ convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout and giving a discourse on the 1987 Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket.

Trump also repeated his fraud claims in a state Biden narrowly carried in 2020. ‘We got millions and millions more votes the second time and we missed by just a little sliver, right?’ Trump said. ‘Somebody said like 18 – 19,000 votes. Just a disgrace. They’re not going to be able to do that a second time,’ he said.

Biden beat Trump by a razor-thin margin of about 20,000 votes.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is urging his colleagues to pass more assistance for Israel in the wake of Iran’s aggressive missile attack Tuesday.

In addition to the administration taking immediate action against Iran and its proxies, Congress should consider returning to Washington to pass a supplemental package to provide Israel with adequate funding for Iron Dome and David’s Sling, ensuring they have the tools they need to defend themselves and to provide necessary disaster relief to North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.

There had been several calls over the past few days for Congress to come back to Washington, D.C., to pass more disaster funding after Hurricane Helene’s destruction.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., similarly called on the body to get back to business.

It is imperative that Congress reconvene to pass a supplemental aid package for the damage done to the Southeast by Hurricane Helene and also to provide missile defense assistance to Israel, which is under attack from the Iranian regime.

But it is unclear whether that will happen as lawmakers are in their states campaigning for reelection.

Election Day is just ahead in five short weeks.

State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters Tuesday in the aftermath of Iran’s missile attack on Israel that Americans want to leave Lebanon.

The Israeli military confirmed troops have launched a long-awaited ground invasion of Lebanon earlier this week, as fears mount that the escalation could plunge the Middle East into an all-out war.

As we often do in these situations, we have directed U.S. citizens in Lebanon to register with the State Department for information and especially for information with how to depart Lebanon.

And we’re providing them whatever information we can. We have had as of today, around 6,000 American citizens in Lebanon who have registered with us for further information.

I should be clear: Not all of those American citizens are seeking assistance with departing, people are just looking for information they’re looking for options.

There are a number of American citizens who live in Lebanon who have lived there for years and do not want to depart the country.

He went on to say that airports in Lebanon are still open for commercial flights, which are still operating, although at a reduced capacity.

We are working right now with airlines to provide additional flights with more seats for American citizens. It’s something that we hope to turn on in the next few days, and we will be in touch with American citizens.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday that U.S. Navy assets assisted Israel in countering Iran’s missile attack.

He pointed to U.S. assets in the region that assisted Israel in shooting down an estimated volley of nearly 200 ballistic missiles.

‘The United States military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend Israel against this attack. U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles,’ Sullivan said.

At this time, and I stress at this time, we do not know of any deaths in Israel,’ Sullivan said, stressing that caveats about the ‘fog of war’ apply to early information.

His remarks came after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ‘initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack.’

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida:

The U.S. must stand strongly with Israel, give it everything it needs to respond, and be clear that Iran will pay dearly for these attacks.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis:

Israel should not be hampered from mounting a robust response by the US Government.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida:

Iran regime attack on Israel was a very dangerous miscalculation. Israel can target and inflict severe damage directly on the regime. And that is now what we will likely see happen next.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who serves as the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee:

The Ayatollah’s regime must be eliminated.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent

Vice President Kamala Harris will head to Georgia Wednesday to survey Hurricane Helene damage.

Harris was originally supposed to take a bus tour through central Pennsylvania with running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on the heels of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate.

But the hurricane has put some campaign 2024 efforts on pause.

That being said, Georgia is a key swing state.

President Joe Biden is also traveling Wednesday.

The president will head to North Carolina, which saw some of the most devastating consequences of the enormous storm.

North Carolina is also likely in play, after narrowly going to former President Donald Trump in 2020.

Harris participated in a hurricane briefing Monday at FEMA’s headquarters and ignored a question about whether the hurricane response has been politicized.

On Monday, during a visit to Valdosta, Georgia, Trump falsely claimed that Georgia’s Gov. Brian Kemp was ‘having a hard time getting the president on the phone,’ something Kemp later swatted down.

‘Federal government is not being responsive,’ Trump said.

The secretary of defense took to X as Iran started launching missiles toward central Israel.

He vowed that there would be ‘severe consequences’ for Iran if they launched a direct attack.

It is unclear that those response measures would be.

President Biden is under pressure to respond forcefully by members of Congress – led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

The Pentagon is set to hold a press briefing at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to further discuss the attack on Israel.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

A CNN panelist attacked a prominent Florida Republican in a vicious on-air spat after he claimed crime has gone up under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The shouting match between Democratic strategist Keith Boykin and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., occurred during a discussion about Donald Trump and his policies.

CNN Host Abby Phillips facilitated the talk on Trump claiming at a rally, seemingly during an unscripted moment, he could solve shoplifting quickly if he let the police have ‘one rough hour.’

The speech led many to suggest what Trump is proposing is the plot of the movie series The Purge.

‘Is he suggesting that cops can do whatever they want for a day and that will actually solve the problem?’ Phillips says in disbelief after playing the clip of Trump.

Byron then snaps back saying ‘No, he’s not’ and says that crime in the U.S. has gone up.

The pressure before the explosion was building.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Donald Trump believes if he were president that Iran would have never unleashed missile attacks on Israel and that globe would not be ‘brink of World War III.’

The ex-president took to his Truth Social app Tuesday to decry an attack on Israel as it was being hit with a hellfire of 180 Iranian missiles.

‘Look at the World today — Look at the missiles flying right now in the Middle East, look at what’s happening with Russia/Ukraine, look at Inflation destroying the World,’ his post began.

‘None of this happened while I was president!’

Another campaign statement from the ex-president said: ‘Under ‘President Trump,’ we had no war in the Middle East, no war in Europe, and harmony in Asia, no inflation, no Afghanistan catastrophe. Now, war or the threat of war, is raging everywhere, and the two incompetents running this country are leading us to the brink of World War III.’

The Israel army says people can now leave shelters.

It said there was no more threat from Iran ‘for now’.

Eight people have been killed after armed men opened fire on the streets of Tel Aviv.

At least seven others were wounded in the terror on Tuesday night – at the same time that Iran launched a barrage of hundreds of missiles on the Israeli city.

Magen David Adom – Israel’s national emergency services – announced that the ‘terrorist’ incident in Jaffa involved multiple casualties.

Footage showed the gunmen getting off at a light rail station and opening fire, before bodies were seen piling up along the platform.

According to local police, the two armed men were ‘neutralized’ by security forces.

President Joe Biden issued a strong waring to Iran as hundreds of missiles started raining down on central Israel:

The United States is prepared to help Israel defend against these attacks, and protect American personnel in the region.

He went on to say in a post on X that he and Vice President Kamala Harris convened their national security team after the first reports Iran had planned to launch an ‘imminent’ attack.

The White House said in a statement that Biden and Harris are currently ‘monitoring the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room and receiving regular updates from their national security team.’

‘President Biden directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles that are targeting Israel.’

CNN reporter Jim Sciutto and his team took cover in Tel Aviv, Israel, as missiles launched from Iran struck the city.

This attack, according to us intelligence principally, or perhaps entirely ballistic missiles, which are the fastest by far.

And the most dangerous and now what we’re seeing in addition to those intercepts as we’re seeing fragments falling to the ground, it’s like a yeah, deadly a deadly fireworks display over Tel Aviv.

Seconds later, there was an impact of missile debris close to the live broadcast.

He went on as loud banging noises were captured on-air:

Okay, guys, we got to get off the roof. These are coming down right next to us here.

Iran has launched over 100 missiles at Israel, according to the Israeli military.

Sirens are ringing out across central Israel.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris are being blamed for a massive dockworkers strike that is crippling the U.S. shipping industry from Texas to Maine.

The strike which is estimated to cost up to $5 billion per day began in the early morning hours Tuesday and has slowed operations across the East Coast impacting over 30 ports.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) – a labor union representing 45,000 port employees – announced it had shuttered its ports across the Eastern Seaboard just after midnight.

Now, shipments of cars, fruits and vegetables, electronics, furniture, beauty products and more will be held up, which could cost the U.S. up to a staggering $5 billion a day.

And the International Brotherhood of Teamsters boss – who spectacularly refused to endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 race – has a terse message for the White House: ‘stay the f*** out of this fight.’

The U.S. Embassy in Israel told its employees to return home and be prepared to enter bomb shelters as the White House warned of an imminent attack from Iran.

The warning comes a day after Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Monday night aimed at crippling the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah there.

Now, Iran is preparing to ‘imminently’ launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the White House warned, adding such action would carry ‘severe consequences.’

The order from U.S. Embassy, the first such order in months, indicates the severity of the situation.

A large-scale attack by Iran on Israel could trigger all-out war in the Middle East.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., is using a helicopter to deliver Hurricane Helene relief to Americans in ‘cutoff’ North Carolina communities.

The Republican posted a video describing his operation to his X account Tuesday while standing in front of a helicopter while wearing a harness.

The lawmaker has previously helped with evacuations from Afghanistan and Haiti.

‘Quick Update: Day 2 Today we will focus on resupply to Poplar and Burnsville, NC. Yesterday, we resupplied Asheville with approximately 3000 to 4000 lbs of supplies, Mills wrote.

‘We will focus on hoist operations and welfare checks to the areas completely cut off and most impacted by the storm.’

A GoFundMe account set up by Donald Trump to help Hurricane Helene victims hit over $1.5 million as of Tuesday morning.

His Campaign Finance Director Meredith O’Rourke set up the page titled: ‘MAGA supporters to offer their financial assistance to their fellow Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene.’

The success of the page comes 24 hours after Trump stopped into Georgia to highlight the damage caused by Hurricane Helene that hit the area as a Category 4 storm.

His team built a small brick wall around him for an event at a hurricane-devastated business in Valdosta.

The bricks from the building were used to build a barrier around Trump’s podium, a small structure about three to four feet high.

Trump and his political allies spoke about the storm from behind the wall.

‘Valdosta has been ravaged the town is very badly hurting and many thousands are without power, they are running low on food and fuel,’ Trump said.

President Biden is set to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, while VP Kamala Harris is waiting until the area clears to make a trip to survey the destruction that has killed over 130 Americans.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Iran is preparing to ‘imminently’ launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the White House warned, adding such action would carry ‘severe consequences.’

‘The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,’ a senior administration official told DailyMail.com.

‘We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran.’

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Israel has advised all Americans in-country to ‘shelter in place.’

‘As a result of the current security situation, the U.S. Embassy has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice,’ the Embassy said.

Iran launched a direct attack on Israel in April, but few of the missiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

One candidate in the close Nebraska Senate race has found himself at the center of numerous controversies weeks before Election Day.

Former Democrat-turned-Independent Dan Osborn, 49, is denying allegations that he was exposed for being on Ashley Madison, despite being married to his wife of 22 years, Megan, with whom he shares three children.

An email directly connected to Osborn was used to sign up for the infamous affair website Ashley Madison, DailyMail.com has learned.The dating website is well known for facilitating extramarital affairs. It was created in 2001 with the slogan ‘life is short, have an affair’ with over 37 million unfaithful spouses taking the bait.

His email linked to his birth date and public address was among the thousands compromised in a now-infamous 2015 Ashley Madison hack, according to documents.

He also had access to a Twitter account that was previously caught liking explicit gay porn and pictures of naked girls on X, screenshots obtained by DailyMail.com show.

Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early on Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause a shortage of goods if it goes on for more than a few weeks.

The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight, and even though progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike.

The strike affecting 36 ports is the first by the union since 1977.

Workers began picketing at the Port of Philadelphia shortly after midnight, walking in a circle at a rail crossing outside the port and chanting ‘No work without a fair contract.’

Supply chain experts say consumers won’t see an immediate impact from the strike because most retailers stocked up on goods, moving ahead shipments of holiday gift items.

But if it goes more than a few weeks, a work stoppage would significantly snarl the nation’s supply chain, potentially leading to higher prices and delays in goods reaching households and businesses.

If drawn out, the strike will force businesses to pay shippers for delays and cause some goods to arrive late for peak holiday shopping season – potentially impacting delivery of anything from toys or artificial Christmas trees to cars, coffee and fruit.

The strike will likely have an almost immediate impact on supplies of perishable imports like bananas, for example.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

First lady Jill Biden is in Mexico for the inauguration of that country’s first president but she’s also keeping victims of Hurricane Helene at the top of her mind.

‘Our hearts are with everyone who has been affected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Joe and his team have mobilized a full federal response to save lives and help survivors,’ she said at a reception at Ambassador Ken Salazar’s residence.

‘The head of FEMA is on the ground, and we are sparing no resources to help the areas in need. Please keep those families and the first responders in your prayers,’ she added.

Biden arrived in Mexico on Monday afternoon and greeted embassy staff that evening.

The inauguration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo takes place on Tuesday. The first lady will join Pardo and others at a luncheon afterward.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the dockworkers’ strike at ports from Maine to Texas after they walked off the job to protest wages and automation plans.

The strike could result in supply chain issues and shortages that harken back to the days of the COVID pandemic.

Biden has called on both sides to sit down at the bargaining table and come to a fair agreement, the White House said in a statement.

Many of Biden’s senior officials – including Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su – are involved in the talks.

The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight. The strike affects 36 ports along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

Time is running out in the 2024 campaign.

The primary debates that saw Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy try and take chunks out of each seem a lifetime ago.

Even President Joe Biden’s monumental decision to drop out of the race is slowly becoming a distant memory.

Now it is October, and by this time next month we will be just five days from what could be one of the closest elections in history.

With 34 days to go, there is no clear favorite between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Polls show the candidates are at a virtual tie in the swing states, and each campaign is looking for a breakthrough to try and move the needle.

Voters are now bracing for an October surprise that could upend what has already been an unprecedented election.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is blaming President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the massive dockworkers’ strike.

The top Republican says that the administration’s economy, which has made life ‘harder for everyone’ is the true reason why there is no resolution.

The strike is expected to have massive impacts on goods and services across the nation.

A lengthy shutdown of 36 ports – which handle half of America’s cargo from ships – could raise cause shortages and price increases at big and small retailers alike as the holiday shopping season approaches.

He plans to speak at the New York Stock Exchange at 4:40 p.m. ET today to discuss the next 100 days forward for the House of Representatives.

Iran will face ‘serious consequences’ if it attacks Israel, the US has warned, as thousands of American troops have been sent to the region amid fears that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could escalate into all-out regional war.

US fighter jet squadrons are being deployed, including F-15E and F-16s – jets which played a significant role in shooting down Iranian drones when Tehran launched a missile and drone attack on Israel back in April.

F-22 jets and A-10 warplanes are also being sent, while the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is already positioned in the Gulf of Oman, with the USS Harry S Truman on its way as part of a scheduled deployment.

A ‘few thousand’ more American troops are also being moved to the region, the Pentagon said last night, to bolster security for the 40,000 already based across bases in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

The Biden administration is hoping to avoid the situation spiralling into a broader war that could potentially drag in US forces, and has urged Israel to keep its incursion limited in scope.

For decades, Democrats have enjoyed wide margins of support from the Latino population, but a new NBC/Telemundo poll shows a dip in support for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Support for Harris is at 54 percent, according to the poll while former President Donald Trump has 40 percent. Six percent said they were unsure who they wanted to be president or would not vote.

While Harris enjoys a healthy 14 point advantage from Latinos, it’s much lower than past Democratic presidential candidates.

President Joe Biden had a 36 point lead with Latinos in 2020 and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a healthy 50 point lead over Trump. Former President Barack Obama led with 39 pointover his Republican opponent former Governor Mitt Romney.

Trump enjoys higher marks than Harris on the economy, dealing with inflation and the cost of living and security the border and controlling immigration.

Tim Walz took a break from his debate prep on Sunday to visit a local farm’s pumpkin patch, telling reporters things were ‘going great.’

But, behind the scenes, he is reported to be worried about Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate.

Walz and his team have holed up in Northern Michigan, preparing for the event at a place they’ve dubbed ‘Camp North Star.’

The camp’s name is about Walz ‘staying true to who he is, not turning him into a slick debater like’ Republican J.D. Vance, a source familiar with the preparations told DailyMail.com.

In a striking moment at the Democratic National Convention in August, sixteen former members of Mankato West High School’s football team took the stage in a tribute to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

After all, Vice President Kamala Harris told the roaring crowd, he was their ‘coach’.

Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar went even further, declaring: ‘In Minnesota, we trust a coach who turned a team that was 0-27 into state champions.’

Americans watching might have been left with the distinct impression that Walz was the man behind the team’s underdog triumph.

In fact, the head coach of the all-conquering side known as the ‘Scarlets’ was a man named Rick Sutton.

Walz, a social studies teacher by day, was simply one of several assistant coaches under Sutton, working primarily with the defensive players.

For his part, Sutton has expressed no ill will for Walz getting the credit on the national stage. But he also has left no doubt as to who was really in charge.

‘Tim was really great at selling his point of view and then accepting a different direction,’ Sutton said in August. ‘But at some point, somebody has to make that decision, and that’s going to be the head coach.’

Republican J.D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz will meet Tuesday in their only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election, and both have a point to prove: That they are not completely weird.

Walz may have deployed the term first to write off the entire Republican ticket, but a J.L. Partners/DailyMail.com poll of voters shows he has work to do too.

When 1000 likely voters were asked earlier this month who was the most weird of the two candidates, some 40 percent picked Sen. Vance, 40.

More than a third, 35 percent, nominated Walz, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota.

But in an election that will go down to the wire, decided by the tiniest of margins, there are signs that there is everything to play for when the two running mates take the stage in New York on Tuesday evening.