The two often-memed US vice-presidential candidates took the stage, and people on social media had things to say

Two of social media’s most talked-about characters faced off during the vice-presidential debate. On one side: the folksy, avuncular, pet-loving Minnesota governor Tim Walz. On the other: Ohio senator JD Vance, whose campaign trail gaffes – awkwardly ordering donuts, railing against “childless cat ladies” – are top-tier meme fodder. Whatever happened on the debate stage or in the spin rooms, the most widely-viewed analysis lives on social media.

Right from the start, viewers and commentators noticed the difference between Walz and Vance’s debating style. During the first question about the unfolding crisis in the Middle East, Walz came off as nervous, fumbling over talking points. Vance tried to avoid the question. Because why talk about Iran when you can remind folks you wrote New York Times bestseller Hillbilly Elegy?