Tim Walz is bringing the energy to the campaign to defeat former President Donald Trump.
In his debut as a vice presidential candidate on Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Walz positioned himself as a folksy former schoolteacher who served in the military, a football coach who had inspired his students, and an overall fierce defender of the Democratic ticket.
Before his speech, there was a half-hour of cheering for Vice President Kamala Harris, and Walz, aligned with the applause, showed his gratitude for the Democratic presidential candidate.
“Thank you,” Walz, 60, said, directly addressing Harris in the opening moment of his speech, “for bringing back the joy.”
“I am thrilled to be on this journey with you […] I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket and to help Vice President Harris become what we all know is very, very good for us to think about, the next president of the United States of America.”
The enthusiastic governor went on to commend his running mate and her accomplishments throughout her career “improving people’s lives” before giving more details about himself—a person who knows “a little something about that commitment to people.”
“I lived in Butte, a small town of 400 where community was a way of life,” he began. “My mum and dad taught us: show generosity towards your neighbors and work for the common good.”
He explained that his father was a teacher and most of his siblings, including himself, followed the same pathway, which was a good segue to the details of his career in politics as he cited his students as the reason he ran for Congress in 2006 in a district that only had one Democrat since 1892.
“It was my students. They encouraged me to run for office. They saw in me what I was hoping to instill in them. A commitment to the common good. A belief that one person can make a difference.”
When my wife and I decided to have children, we spent years going through fertility treatments.
I remember praying each night for a call with good news, or the agony when we heard the treatments hadn’t worked.
When we welcomed our daughter into the world, we named her Hope. pic.twitter.com/3qyFeVTC8F
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) August 6, 2024
But it was Walz’s ability to deliver searing yet accessible attacks against the Republican opponents that won him a place on the national ticket, and during his first rally, he didn’t miss the chance to showcase his skill. He argued that the former president and his running mate, JD Vance, are “weird” and “creepy as hell” in his remarks while also touching on a viral yet unsubstantiated claim that Trump’s running mate admitted to having sex with a couch in his memoir.
“I can’t wait to debate the guy,” Walz said. “That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”
He criticized the Republicans, saying they have twisted the idea of freedom by intruding into decisions about abortion and fertility.
“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make, even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves,” he said. “There’s a golden rule. Mind your own damn business.”
Walz made a direct hit at Project 2025, the conservative manifesto created by Trump allies and advisers. “Don’t believe him when he plays dumb,” he said of the former president. “He knows exactly what Project 2025 will do to restrict our freedoms.”
He also alluded to his experience in the Army National Guard to draw a contrast with Trump.
“He doesn’t know the first thing about service,” Walz said. “He doesn’t have time for it because he’s too busy serving himself.”
“So, we’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy,” Walz said regarding the time left until the presidential election in the U.S.
“Over those next 91 days, and every day in the White House, I will have Vice President Harris’s back. Every single day. And we will have yours,” Walz assured before encouraging people to keep on engaging and supporting their fight to the White House.
