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During the VP debate, the moderators turned off the microphones after a fact-checking argument

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During the VP debate, the moderators turned off the microphones after a fact-checking argument

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Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance's microphone was temporarily muted by CBS News during the debate on Tuesday night after an argument broke out during a fact check.

The spat between Vance and anchor Margaret Brennan came after a series of immigration-related questions in which Vance made misleading claims about Haitian migrants in an Ohio city.

After both Vance and Tim Walz answered the questions in the allotted time and used their 60-second follow-ups, Brennan conducted a live fact check before moving on to the next set of questions, as per fellow moderator Norah O'Donnell the discussions about climate change.

“And just to be clear to our viewers, there are a large number of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, who have legal status and temporary protected status,” Brennan said. When she tried to move on and pass the question to O'Donnell, Vance interrupted her and said “Margaret” repeatedly as she tried to continue, then referenced the debate's fact-checking rules.

Fact check: What Tim Walz and JD Vance got right (and wrong) in the vice president debate

“The rules were you wouldn't fact check, and since you're fact checking with me, I think it's important to say what's actually going on.” Vance then spent about 20 seconds describing the migrant phone application process, arriving at the southern U.S.-Mexico border. One purpose of the application is for migrants to request appointments to present their asylum claims to officials at designated ports of entry.

Vance's interruptions led to a brief rebuttal from Walz before both microphones were turned off, after which anchor and CBS News journalist Brennan moved on.

“Gentlemen, the audience can’t hear you because your microphones are turned off,” Brennan said over the sound of inaudible conversation. “We have so much planned that we want to achieve. Thank you for explaining the legal process.”

Unlike the microphone rules in last month's presidential debate, Vance and Walz will be on “hot mics” during their 90-minute debate, meaning the microphones were not automatically muted between answers. However, under CBS News' rules, which both campaigns have agreed to, anchors have the ability to turn off the microphones if they deem it necessary.

What are the other rules for the “CBS News Vice Presidential Debate”?

According to CBS News, both campaigns have agreed to and accepted the following rules for the debate:

  • The debate lasts 90 minutes, with two breaks of four minutes each.
  • There will be no audience.
  • The two moderators, Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, will be seated and will be the only ones to ask questions of the candidates.
  • The candidates will stand behind the podiums for the duration of the debate, with Governor Walz on stage left/screen right and Senator Vance on stage right/screen left.
  • The candidates have two minutes to make their final speech. A virtual coin toss took place on September 26th. Senator Vance won and chose second place with his closing statement.
  • The candidates are introduced by the moderators in the order of the incumbent party.
  • No props or pre-written notes are permitted on stage.
  • No topics or questions will be shared with campaigns or candidates in advance.
  • Campaign staff are not allowed to interact with candidates during breaks.
  • Candidates receive a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
  • Event rooms are available for employee and candidate inspections, which must be arranged in advance.
  • The lights show the remaining time with numerical countdown: green to 15 seconds; solid yellow for up to five seconds; flashes red after five seconds; solid red at zero.
  • CBS News reserves the right to turn off any candidate's microphones.
  • Moderators will try to enforce time agreements.
  • For each question, the candidate who asked the question is given two minutes to answer and the other candidate is given two minutes to answer. Each candidate is then given one minute to present further counterarguments. At the discretion of the moderators, candidates may each be given an additional minute to continue the discussion.

USA TODAY's Gabe Hauari contributed to this report.

Kathryn Palmer is a USA TODAY election fellow. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.

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