Minnesota Governor Tim Walz might have wished he’d heeded the old saying, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” before his appearance on Monday night. While speaking in Bethlehem, Pa., on Saturday, the Democratic vice presidential nominee inadvertently criticized Vice President Kamala Harris. Rally-goers interpreted Walz’s comments about Americans “not being able to afford four more years” of President Joe Biden as a veiled jab at Harris. The remark was seized upon by former President Donald Trump’s campaign, which highlighted a clip of Walz suggesting Harris would be disastrous for America.
“We can’t afford… we can’t afford four more years of this!” Walz exclaimed to a crowd of puzzled listeners. According to The Western Journal, Walz’s comments were intended to address concerns about rising political violence and mass shootings. However, despite being targeted for assassination twice, Walz seemed to place blame on President Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), for the issues he highlighted. “Look, Kamala Harris made it clear these guys want to instill fear. They want to tell you that [you should] just get over it, it’s a fact of life. This is the way it is.”
Walz’s criticism of Vance follows recent remarks by the Ohio Republican, who had expressed support for “hardening” public schools through measures like armed security guards or firearms training for teachers to deter shooters. Critics and the mainstream media seized on Vance’s description of school shootings as a “way of life,” though the Associated Press later retracted its initial headline after accusations of liberal bias emerged.
Several conservative commentators ridiculed Gov. Walz for getting egg on his face while attempting to knock his rival. “In a stunning move, Tim Walz makes the case for Trump,” Benny Johnson wrote. “We agree Timmy!” added @DogRightGirl. Crowd favorite Defiant L’s mocked Walz’s lack of touch with reality. “I’m not sure if you know this Tim but your current running mate is kinda the VP,” they posted.
In a stunning move, Tim Walz makes the case for Trump:
“We can’t afford four more years of this”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 22, 2024
Towards the end of his lackluster speech, Gov. Walz attempted to energize the crowd by proclaiming that Vice President Harris would become the first female president, breaking the ultimate “glass ceiling” that Hillary Clinton had aspired to eight years ago. “It’s all on the line. Not just for the next four years but for the next 40 years. Forty-five days to bring joy back to our politics. Forty-five days to say we are not satisfied with putting cracks in the glass ceiling — we’re pushing President Harris through the glass ceiling,” Walz said.
