Topline
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and former President Donald Trump are “creepy” and “weird as hell” in his first campaign appearance as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate Tuesday—leaning into Democrats’ new attack line against the GOP that Walz helped popularize.
US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris applauds as her running … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Walz, referring to Trump and his running mate, said “these guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell,” in his first speech as the Democratic vice presidential nominee at a rally Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Walz said he “can’t wait to debate” Vance “if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up,” an apparent quip about the false claim that went viral on social media that Vance wrote about a sex act involving a couch in his book “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Walz also attacked Vance for having grown up “in the heartland” then going on to Yale and having a “career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires” before writing a “bestseller trashing that community . . . come on, that’s not what Middle America is,” Walz said.
Democrats have repeatedly used the term “weird” to refer to Republicans in recent weeks, and Walz has been widely credited with helping spread the messaging, after his viral MSNBC appearance in which he described Vance and Trump as “weird” for what he called their attacks on “freedom: freedom to be in your bedroom, freedom to be in your exam room, freedom to tell your kids what they can read.”
Walz later explained to The New York Times the characterization is specific to Trump and Vance, not Republicans generally.
Tangent
Walz appeared alongside Harris as Democrats are experiencing a honeymoon of sorts following President Joe Biden’s July 21 exit from the race, marking an end to weeks of intraparty turmoil and sagging polls. Harris has since surpassed Trump in most polling averages after Trump led Biden for months. Recognizing the renewed enthusiasm, Walz thanked Harris for “bringing back the joy” on Tuesday. Harris, prior to Walz taking the stage, touted his background as a high school teacher, football coach and National Guardsman before his entrance into politics, casting him as a product of working-class middle America with solid family values. “Tim is more than a governor,” she said. “To his former high school students, he was Mr. Walz. To his football players, he was Coach, and in 91 days, the nation will know Coach Walz by another name: vice president of the United States.”
Key Background
Harris announced Walz as her running mate earlier Tuesday, ending weeks of speculation and a vetting process that reportedly involved nearly a dozen contenders, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who introduced Walz and Harris in his home state Tuesday. Walz, who was born in Nebraska and grew up working on his family farm, is widely viewed among Democrats as a candidate who can help build support among the working-class and in crucial battleground states, such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Walz served 12 years in Congress, representing a conservative district in southern Minnesota, prior to his election as governor in 2018.
Further Reading
GOP Attacks Tim Walz For Calling Rural Minnesota ‘Mostly Rocks And Cows’—Here’s What He Really Said (Forbes)
Here’s What Polls Say About Tim Walz, Harris’ VP Pick (Forbes)
Kamala Harris Picks Tim Walz As Running Mate: Here’s What To Know About Him (Forbes)
2022 midterms, 2024 presidential campaign, the January 6 House committee investigation, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, the 2023 State of the Union Address, former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference and classified documents cases and his Manhattan hush money case. Dorn graduated in 2012 from the University of Dayton with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining Forbes, she covered New York City and state politics for the New York Post and City and State magazine. Follow her for updates and analysis on the 2024 presidential race, key Senate and House races and developments in Congress and at the White House.
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