Former Obama adviser: Vance 'very good' at debating, Walz 'trying to lower expectations of his performance'

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod said Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was better prepared for Tuesday night's vice presidential debate because of his frequent interactions with the media, while his opponent, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said so. “didn’t do it.”

“Vance was chosen by Trump to be his designated hitter on television and he is ever-present on those Sunday shows and in interviews. Not only did he prepare last week, but in these appearances, Walz didn't do that,” Axelrod said on CNN on Tuesday.

Vance and Walz will face off Tuesday in their first and likely only debate before the November election. The debate will be moderated by CBS News' Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan.

The Democratic vice presidential candidate is reportedly nervous about performing poorly in the debate and ditching his running mate, Kamala Harris, according to Walz campaign staffers.

TRUMP-VANCE TICKET HAS CONDUCTED 60 INTERVIEWS TOGETHER SINCE LAST MONTH, COMPARED TO 21 FOR HARRIS-WALZ

Axelrod said those leaked comments to the media showed his campaign was “actively trying to lower expectations” for the Democrat ahead of the debate.

“It's interesting to me that what has essentially leaked out of the campaign in the last 24 hours is, 'Well, he told us he's not a good debater.' I mean, they're actively trying to lower expectations for Walz,” he continued.

“[V]ance is very good at this. And that's what he was chosen for. Walz was chosen because of this kindness and warmth. And the question is: Will it be a Labrador Retriever versus a coyote? And how will that turn out?” asked Axelrod.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

WALZ' DEBATE PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS AFTER THE SHOWDOWN WITH VANCE: “STILL FAR UNTESTED”

The Harris-Walz campaign is “actively trying to lower expectations” ahead of the vice presidential debate, Axelrod argued. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidates are still lagging behind Republican candidates when it comes to conducting interviews with the media, although Harris has stepped up her appearances in recent days.

Trump and Vance have met for at least 60 interviews since the Harris-Walz ticket was formed (as of Monday), compared to 21 unscripted interviews for Harris and Walz.

Former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill argued on MSNBC that the media should “reduce” its expectations for Walz's appearance on Tuesday.

“I'm just a little worried about expectations at the moment. I think people – yeah, JD Vance has said some really, I think, disqualifying things about women and how he views people and their role in life. But he'll do it. “Be articulate and he'll be prepared and he'll be better than Trump,” she said on the Liberal Network Sunday.

“I just think we need to lower expectations a little bit because then we can all be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong and Tim Walz just wipes the floor with him like Kamala Harris wiped the floor with Donald Trump,” said McCaskill added.

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Fox News' Brian Flood and Hanna Panreck contributed to this article.