Words the VP candidates used most often during the debate: “Trump,” “housing,” “border”
The most frequently mentioned word by the vice presidential candidates during Tuesday’s debate, excluding routine and common words, was “Trump.”
Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio said former President Donald Trump’s name 66 times in a rigorous defense of his running mate’s record, more than the 44 times he mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was heavier on critiques of Trump, naming him 44 times and saying Harris’ name 28 times.
Walz took one of his first opportunities on a national stage to talk about his experience governing Minnesota, mentioning the state’s name 26 times. Vance said “Ohio” five times.
To take a closer look at the vice presidential candidates’ rhetoric, CBS News analyzed the words they used in their only scheduled debate, and compared it to the words the presidential candidates used in the Sept. 10 debate. Here’s what we found.
Breaking down the words by topic
Like Trump did during the presidential debate, Vance emphasized the issue of immigration, saying the word “border” 20 times, which was more than Trump’s 12 mentions.
Seven times, Vance said “millions” of people were entering the U.S. illegally. He also echoed Trump’s false claim that the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is over 20 million. The actual number is closer to 11 million.
Vance described undocumented immigrants as “aliens” seven times, a term Trump only used once in his debate against Harris.
Walz did not use the words “illegal” or “alien” at all, nor did Harris. Walz responded to questions on immigration by emphasizing Trump’s efforts to prevent the bipartisan border bill from passing Congress, saying “bill” in reference to it eight times.
The vice presidential candidates mirrored their running mates’ approaches when it came to language around abortion. Vance said he wanted the U.S. to be more “pro-family” and “pro-baby,” and his rhetoric reflected that. He said “baby” or “family” 10 times in the context of abortion.
Like Harris, Walz discussed abortion in terms of women’s rights, saying the word “women” or “woman” nine times. He also described abortion as “health care” four times, something neither Vance or Trump did.
When talking about the economy, Vance focused on high prices, mentioning “price” 10 times and “afford” or “unaffordable” 19 times, echoing common criticisms of rising prices during the Biden-Harris administration. While inflation spiked during the first two years of Biden’s presidency, it is now at its lowest point since March 2021.
Walz’s rebuttals mentioned the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to negotiate drug prices, referencing prescription “drugs” or “insulin” six times. He also repeatedly emphasized job growth during the administration throughout the debate, using the word “jobs” seven times.
The vice presidential candidates also discussed housing, more so than their running mates. Walz said “house” or “home” 28 times in the context of housing; Vance used those words 26 times.
More time was dedicated to climate change than in either of the presidential debates this year. Vance focused on “energy,” using the word 12 times. He also used the word “clean” eight times when talking about climate. Both candidates said the word “climate” four times, a word Trump did not mention in either of his debates this year.
How the candidates referred to each other and their running mates
In total, Walz and Vance mentioned Trump 110 times; more than double the number of times Harris and Trump said the former president’s name in their debate.
Harris was mentioned by name 72 times, almost always by her full name. Vance sometimes referred to the Biden administration as the Harris administration, while President Biden only got seven mentions total from the vice presidential candidates.
Vance also frequently addressed the moderators by name, saying “Margaret” 21 times and “Norah” eight times.
When it came to addressing each other, Vance referred to Walz by his first name, Tim, 17 times, and by his full name or as “Governor Walz” 20 times. Walz referred to his opponent only as “Senator Vance” 15 times.