Pete Buttigieg plays ‘weird’ JD Vance to help Tim Walz prepare for VP debate

As DemocraticMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz prepares to step onto the national stage for his vice-presidential debate againstRepublicanOhio Sen. JD Vance on October 1, he’s bringing in one of the Democratic Party’s most skilled communicators to assist in his preparation: out gay U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the Washington Post reports.

Known for his quick wit and articulateness, Buttigieg has been tapped in his personal capacity to play Vance in mock debate sessions, a crucial move as Walz gets ready to take on Vance, whom the governor famously dubbed “weird.”

Walz’s use of the term “weird” to describe Vance and former President Donald Trump has gained significant traction since he coined the attack earlier this summer. What started as a comment on MSNBC’s Morning Joe about the state of political discourse—“These guys are just weird”—quickly turned into a defining buzzword of the Harris-Walz campaign. The phrase has since been adopted by Democrats nationwide and used in campaign messaging against the Trump-Vance ticket. According to The Post, Buttigieg is playing a central role in Walz’s preparation, working with him to anticipate Vance’s rhetoric and prepare counterarguments.

The vice-presidential debate, scheduled for October 1 at 9 p.m. ET in New York City and broadcast live on CBS, will be a pivotal moment in the campaign. With only one presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump on the calendar, the event has taken on added significance. Harris was widely viewed as the victor in their September 10 face-off in Philadelphia, leaving Walz to maintain that momentum.

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Related: Pete Buttigieg explains Donald Trump and JD Vance’s racist, false pet-eating claims

Buttigieg has become a regular presence on conservative networks such as Fox News, where he skillfully dismantles right-wing misinformation. His ability to remain composed while countering disinformation has earned him a reputation as one of the party’s best communicators, making him the ideal choice to help Walz prepare for what could be a volatile debate with Vance.

Buttigieg’s role in helping Walz prepare is no surprise, considering his previous experience standing in for Republicans during debate practice. In 2020, Buttigieg played then-Vice President Mike Pence during Harris’s preparations. Now, he inhabits his role as Vance, a candidate whose rhetoric has frequently veered to the extreme. According to The Washington Post, the two have yet to hold an entire 90-minute mock debate but are expected to do so in the coming days.

Vance has attracted controversy for his far-right positions, including his baseless claims linking Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, to pet abductions and the spread of HIV. Walz, by contrast, has sought to brand himself as a practical Midwestern leader who can connect with working-class voters. His attack on Vance as “weird” has resonated with Democrats, positioning Walz as a plainspoken alternative to the far-right rhetoric of the Trump-Vance ticket.

“This debate will serve as another clear opportunity for Governor Walz to present Vice President Harris’ winning vision of a New Way Forward,” Emily Soong, a spokeswoman for the Harris-Walz campaign, told The Post in a statement.