According to the talent at MSNBC, mansplaining knows no gender boundaries, which they argued was on display by Republican presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) during Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate between Vance and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).
MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Nicolle Wallace, Vance attempted to “mansplain,” a term typically used to describe how a man talks down to a woman if done condescendingly, to Walz and moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, an aspect of illegal immigration.
Partial transcript as follows:
WALLACE: Can I say something about the moderators? They did a great job and they also used their mic-muting power We spent a lot of time on it before the debate. I actually think if you’re a woman, that might be the the worst moment JD Vance had because he was going to mansplain right over that mute button. He was, and again, I don’t pretend to know how everyone will react to this, I think that a lot of women in positions of authority that should command respect just by virtue of that dynamic will see themselves and some dude that, disrespected them and talk over them.
There was a moment like that in the Harris-Pence vice-presidential debate, where she said, “I’m speaking.” There’s this real belief that what he was saying was more important than the debate rules and the moderators.
MADDOW: And to Joy’s point — the substance of that moment was when he was lying about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio again, and Tim Walz had called him out on it and then was saying, ‘Oh, no, no, no, I’m not lying, let me tell you why I’m calling them illegal immigrants,’ even though they are not illegal immigrants and let me mansplain the law to you. And the moderators at that point muted his mic and said, “Thank you for explaing the law. That’s not what we’re asking.”
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