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- For the second time in four years, Pete Buttigieg is playing the GOP VP candidate in debate prep.
- Buttigieg is playing Sen. JD Vance as Gov. Tim Walz prepares for the October 1 debate.
- The Transportation Secretary recently joked that he was “still recovering” from playing Mike Pence.
As Tim Walz prepares for his debate with Sen. JD Vance, the Minnesota governor already reportedly has a stand-in for his vice presidential foe: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
According to The Washington Post, Buttigieg has been playing Vance in debate rehearsals with Walz.
The Post also reported that the VP candidate was practicing with Buttigieg, who took notes on a yellow legal pad, in a Minneapolis hotel on Wednesday.
It’s not the first time that Buttigieg has played a Republican vice presidential candidate. In 2020, the former South Bend mayor took on the role of Vice President Mike Pence in debate prep sessions with Kamala Harris.
Buttigieg was previously asked on MSNBC in August whether he’d be willing to play Vance in a debate.
“Obviously, I’ll make myself however I can, although I’m still recovering a little bit from the experience of trying to inhabit the mind of Mike Pence,” Buttigieg said at the time. “I’ll do anything to help this ticket win, but I don’t know if it will come to that.”
“For anyone from the Harris campaign who’s watching, it sounds like Mayor Pete is saying he’s willing to embody JD Vance for a period of time,” host Jen Psaki joked.
Vance and Walz are set to debate on October 1 in New York City.
